University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


/r*f*9'*7* 


•- 


WILD   LIFE; 


01, 


ADVENTURES  ON  THE  FRONTIER. 


€ari£  iajjs  of  l\t  fean 


BY 


CAPT.  MAYNE  REID. 


Ott  or  (<THB  HUNTERS'  FEAST,"  «' SCALP  HUNTERS,"  "WAB  TRAIL,'*  " 

••  WHITE  CHIB?,"  "QD1DROON,"  "OSCIOLA,"  MO. 


SEAUTIfULLY  ILLUSTRATED    WITH  ORIGINAL  DESIGNS, 
ENGRAVED     BT     N.     ORR. 


NEW    YORK: 
ERT    M.   DE    WITT,    PUBLISHER, 

18  7&iM«¥ORT  STREET. 


ENTBRXH  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 
I10JJEKT    M.   DE   WITT, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Dibtnct  Court  of  t'he  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of 

New  York. 


CONTENTS. 


MM 

Big  BUI  P., 5 

Family  Quarreli, 13 

The  Departure,         .        .    N 21 

Death  of  the  Betrayed  and  Betrayer,        .        .        .        .  .29 

An  Old  Acquaintance, <      86 

"Feeling"  the  Way,         .        . 60 

The  Enemy  Overtaken, 68 

Davis  the  Half-breed, 78 

A  Mexican  War  Horse, 87 

The  Dancing  Bear, 104 

The  Prairie  Scout, 116 

The  Maniac  Horseman,     .".        .        .        .        .        .        .        .121 

A  TraihV  Party,       ..........     128 

Bill  Johnson  "  Stumped," 133 

Death  of  the  Traitor,        .        . 144 

"  Fixin'"  a  Yaller  Belly, 158 

The  Night  Attack, .        .        .170 

Mustangs, 186 

A  Prairie  Scamper,  .        .        . 198 

The  Peril— The  Rescue, 210 

A  Dangerous  Deliverer, 213 

The  Self-Accused, " 221 

The  Gambler's  Story— The  Murder, 236 

Trial  by  a  Texan  Jury, .243 

The  Execution, 252 

The  Attack — The  Repulse,        .        .        • 259 

The  Dead  Alive, 2G9 

Brothers  and  Sisters, •       .       .       .289 


IV 

KflM 

The  Last  Adventure  of  a  Coquette,  .        .        .        ...        .        .299 

The  Death  of  Cordova, 309 

The  Husband's  Ruse,         .        .        ? 319 

The  Wounded  Guerrilla, 326 

The  Unknown  Artist,        .        .        .        .        .        ,        ,.        .        .     334 

Wanita, 338 

Scouting  near  Vera  Crux,  «...     850 

Mexican  Jealousy,     .  v  ,  „       •  858 

A  Campaign  in  Texas,       ...«•....     864 
The  Escaoe.      ...-,..  ,895 


WILD   LIFE; 


on, 
ADVENTURES  ON  THE  FRONTIER, 


THOSE  who  dwell  amid  the  strife  and  busy  turmoil  of  large 
cities  know  but  little  of  the  powerful  interest  excited  in  the 
breasts  of  hardy,  strong-minded,  but  unsophisticated  men  who,  liv 
ing  at  a  distance  from  direct  communication  with  the  busy  world, 
suddenly  hear  of  some  great  and  potent  discovery  of  which  they 
also  long  to  avail  themselves.  To  the  feelings  thus  awakened  in 
my  younger  days,  and  shared  in  by  many  of  my  companions,  is 
the  public  indebted  for  the  following  narration  of  events  which 
are  set  down  as  a  record  of  the  incidents  occurring  to  one  whose 
life  has  teemed  with  adventures  of  no  ordinary  character. 

As  the  reader  will  find  a  certain  vein  of  affection  for  my  boy 
hood's  home  running  through  the  strata  of  these  pages,  it  is  well 
to  inform  him  that  I  was  born  in  one  of  the  most  sunny  spots  of 
a  most  lovely  state.  Even  now  my  heart  bounds  with  a  quicker 
pulse  at  the  mention  of  daring,  brave,  noble  Kentucky !  celebrated 
alike  for  the  hardihood  of  her  sons  and  the  beauty  of  her  daugh 
ters.  But  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  scenes  of  this  book. 
I  was  too  young  to  appreciate  the  latter,  and  aimed  only  to 
emulate  the  former.  I  as  well  as  others  yearned  for  the  life 
beyond  the  confines  of  our  secluded  valley,  and  sighed  for  a  par 
ticipation  in  those  deeds  of  which  now  and  thtn  a  rumor  reached 
»ur  ever-attentive  ears. 


How  we  envied  the  caicless  buoyancy  of  the  released  stage- 
passenger,  happy  in  the  prospect  of  refreshment  and  rest,  and 
caught  at  aciy  snatches  of  intelligence  of  the  outer  world  his 
gay  loquacity  might  let  fall !  But  above  all,  if  he  came  from 
some  distant  country  like  Texas  and  Mexico— which  were  then 
the  enchanted  lands  of  our  dreams — we  watched  him  with  awe 
and  wonder,  hung  upon  his  words  with  a  feverish  and  devouring 
credulity,  treasuring  everything  as  "  food  for  parlance  "  with  our 
secret  thoughts. 

It  was  thus  there  came  back  suddenly  into  our  midst  a  young 
man  whom  I  remembered  well  from  my  earliest  childhood ;  but 
whom,  since  his  unaccountable  departure  years  before,  we  had 
almost  learned  to  consider  as  among  the  dead  "  who  make  no  sign." 
He  was  not  a  person  to  be  thought  of  for  his  own  sake,  for  he  was 
a  harsh,  ignoble,  gawky  brute,  with  desperately  freckled  face, 
hirsute  hands,  and  huge,  matted  masses  of  fiery  red  hair.  As  a 
"big  boy,"  alias  a  grown-up  young  man,  he  had  been  the 
dreaded  tyrant  of  the  village  school ;  for,  as  he  seemed  incapable 
of  acquiring  even  the  rudiments  of  learning,  he  took  a  sort  of 
stolid  and  malignant  pleasure  in  torturing  those  whose  perceptions 
were  quicker  than  his  own.  Many  a  savage  blow  and  ruffianly 
insult  did  we  have  to  endure  from  him  uncomplainingly ;  for, 
when  brought  to  account,  the  wretch,  with  an  abject  cunning, 
would  unblushingly  lie  himself  free.  It  caused  a  general 
feeling  of  relief  to  us  all,  when  the  young  man's  father,  wearied 
with  his  hopeless  stupidity,  at  last  took  him  from  school  and 
placed  him  with  a  merchant,  to  learn,  if  possible,  how  to  retail 
"  dry  goods."  But  even  this  experiment  upon  his  availability 
proved  a  failure. 

The  fellow  was  in  heart,  soul,  and  body,  a  ruffian  :  though 
the  story  went,  that  even  he,  uncouth  as  he  was,  had  suc 
cumbed  to  the  tender  passion.  The  sentimental  spinsters  of 
the  village  declared,  with  a  sigh,  that  it  was  for  unrequited 
love  of  one  of  their  venerable  order,  who  was  only  twenty  years 
older  than  himself,  that  the  inconsolable  swain  had  mysteriously 
made  away  with  himself;  while  others,  who  looked  at  facts  through 
an  atmosphere  something  less  rosy-tinted,  hinted  rather  at  a 
bereaved  cash  drawer  with  which  he  had  been  too  familiar.  At 


•11  events,  he  certainly  disappeared  between  sun  and  sun  without 
explanation,  and  where  he  went  few  took  interest  enough  in  him 
to  inquire ;  while  the  tough  "  specimen  of  the  antique,"  to  whose 
obdurate  cruelty  his  evanishment  was  said  to  be  owing,  wa« 
forthwith  installed  by  her  sympathizing  sisters  of  the  "  virginal " 
into  the  romantic  dignity  of  a  heroine  who,  by  the  power  of  her 
charms,  had  "  killed  her  man ! " 

For  her  own  part,  she  looked  the  character  admirably; 
kept  her  secret,  whatever  it  was,  locked  in  her  own  breast; 
and  became  thinner,  more  austere,  wrinkled,  and  religious 
with  each  day,  until  at  last  she  threw  herself  into  the  frosty 
embrace  of  a  church  elder  of  sixty,  to  make  amends  for  a 
wasted  life  in  nursing  a  canting  dotard  into  the  grave  for  his 
mone^f.  This  was  a  man  whom  I  have  often  known  to  strip  up 
his  nether  garment  half  way  up  the  leg  to  exhibit  with  sanctimo 
nious  ostentation  great  cushion-like  callosities,  which  had  grown 
upon  the  knees  from  his  incessant  use  of  them  in  offering  up  long 
prayers  in  places  to  be  heard  of  men. 

But  as  we  were  saying,  the  red-haired  swain  returned  into  our 
midst,  after  an  absence  of  years,  quite  as  unexpectedly  as  he  had 
gone  forth.  Nobody  knew  him  at  first  except  myself,  and  my 
recognition  of  his  identity  was  quickened  by  the  memory  of 
aversion.  I  knew  at  a  glance  those  hated  lineaments  and  that 
awkward  figure,  though  the  first  were  now  defaced  by  the  white 
seam  of  a  hideous  scar  across  the  yellowish  blur  of  one  continued 
freckle,  and  the  last  had  been  knit  together  into  a  rude  and 
massive  compactness  of  outline  which  expressed  great  strength 
and  even  activity.  As  he  descended  from  the  stage,  you  first 
caught  through  the  darkening  twilight  the  gleam  of  precious 
metals  about  his  person,  and  heard  the  rattle  of  arms. 

When  he  strode  into  the  full  light  of  the  bar-room,  we  saw  that 
his  dress  and  accoutrements  were  what  seemed  to  my  sensitive  and 
unsophisticated  fancy  then,  strange,  fierce,  and  splendid  beyond 
anything  I  had  deemed  possible  out  of  the  "  Arabian  Nights," 
but  which  I  only  recognise  now  as  a  vulgar  attempt  at  the 
perfection  of  the  ruffian  coxcombry  of  the  frontier.  He  wore 
about  his  neck  an  immense  guard-chain  of  gold,  the  links  of 
which  were  coarsely  wrought,  and  as  large  as  "  the  little  fingei 


of  a  maid."  The  monstrous  brooch  in  his  coarse  shirt  boson 
was  a  virgin  mass  of  the  same  material,  roughly  wrought  into  a 
rague  resemblance  of  that  vile  and  ludicrous  reptile,  the  horned 
frog,  which  is  nearly  peculiar  to  the  plains  of  Texas.  The 
handles  of  the  pistols  at  his  belt  seemed  to  be  of  solid  silver,  s* 
was  that  of  the  huge  bowie-knife  which  protruded  from  his  bosom. 
The  buttons  of  his  coat,  which  was  a  sort  of  English  shooting 
jacket,  werfe  of  large  silver  coins  of  Mexico ;  while  his  pants,  which 
were  of  black-dressed  buckskin  which  looked  like  velvet,  were 
slashed  down  the  outside  seam  to  show  the  red  cloth  drawers 
beneath,  with  a  row  of  smaller  silver  coins  on  either  edge, 
which  were  connected  by  a  link  an  inch  in  length,  and  of  the 
same  precious  metal.  He  wore  the  Mexican  sombrero  upon  his 
head,  with  the  broad  band  of  variegated  head-work  peculiar  to  it, 
and  over  his  arm,  for  it  was  warm  weather,  the  gaudy  serape 
was  thrown.  Altogether,  it  was  to  me  a  before  unimagined 
picture  of  foreign  magnificence  and  formidable  show. 

The  callow  youth  by  some  miracle  had  suddenly  sprung  into 
a  stalwart  and  formidable  manhood,  for  I  could  not  now  realize 
the  length  of  time  since  he  had  disappeared ;  and  since  he  had 
thus  come  again  from  some  far  country  with  such  a  gorgeous 
display  of  wealth  upon  his  person,  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  on.Ty 
been  asleep  a  little  while,  and  lived  through  the  sudden  transi 
tions  of  some  wild  dream  of  eastern  enchantment.  What  could 
it  mean  ?  Had  this  'rough  brute  been  favored  by  the  Genii,  and 
found  Aladdin's  Lamp  again  ? 

The  articles  of  dress  and  accoutrement  which  are  so  well 
known  now,  were  strange  to  every  one  then ;  for  Texas 
was  an  odd  foreign  name,  just  then  beginning  to  be  fre 
quently  spoken,  with  no  very  clear  or  definite  ideas  of  distance 
or  locality  attached  to  it ;  and  Mexico  was  the  "  earthlj' 
Paradise"  of  the  Geographies — the  golden,  glorious,  but  inac. 
cessible  home  of  conquered  Montezumas  and  Spanish  grandeiu. 
The  red-haired  ruffian  strutted  to  and  fro,  jingling  his  chains  and 
enjoying  largely  the  looks  of  gaping,  reverential  surprise,  with 
which  he  was  regarded  by  the  crowd  of  men  and  boys.  At  last, 
in  a  coarse  insolent  voice  he  began  to  question  those  around  con. 
earning  certain  citizens  of  the  place,  inquiring  whether  they 


9 

were  dead  yet,  and  where  they  lived  now.  I  had  known  hint 
from  the  first,  and  when  he  mentioned  his  father's  name,  in  spita 
of  the  awed  repulsion  felt  towards  him,  the  pent-up  excitement, 
which  had  now  reached  the  explosive  intensity  in  my  little  breast, 
burst  forth,  and  I  shouted  or  rather  screamed  aloud, 

"  Boys,  it's  big  Bill  P.  !"  and  then  there  was  a  general  roar  of 
instantaneous  recognition.  The  wretch,  with  a  hideous  attempt 
at  a  smile,  which  only  turned  the  coarse,  stiff  lips  wrong  side 
out,  and  showed  great  yellow  fangs  like  those  of  a  butcher's 
bull-dog,  stepped  towards  me,  saying, 

"  Damn  you,  Ruffles,*  what  did  you  tell  for !"  and  stretched 
out  his  coarse  hand  to  clutch  my  ear,  with  the  same  brutal 
gesture  I  had  learned  so  long  ago  to  dread.  The  novelty  of  the 
scene,  the  recollection  of  my  old  hate,  everything  combined,  had 
wrought  me  up  to  a  pitch  of  uncontrollable  nervous  excitement,  and 
with  the  blood  almost  starting  from  my  face,  I  burst  forth  into  yells 
of  rage,  and  struck  at  him  in  blind  fury,  without  knowing  what  I 
did.  He  at  first  seemed  as  if  he  were  going  to  annihilate  me  with 
a  savage  blow,  but  then  something  like  shame  appeared  to 
restrain  him,  and  he  merely  seized  both  my  hands  in  one  of  his, 
and  held  me  helpless  as  an  infant  in  his  vice-like  grasp  until  the 
paroxysm  had  in  some  measure  expeoded  itself.  He  now  re- 
leased  me,  and  with  a  hyena  chuckle  complimented  me  upon  my 
"  pluck,"  as  he  called  the  nervous  spasm  of  wonder,  fright,  and 
hate,  which  had  so  over-mastered  me  for  the  moment. 

However,  the  immediate  result  was  not  very  serious,  for  ever 
after  this  incident  the  ruffian  appeared  to  have  taken  an  uncouth 
sort  of  patronizing  liking  to  me.  He  first  attempted  to  coax  me 
by  the  offer  of  presents,  which,  singular  as  the  objects  were  to  me. 
I  rejected  with  disdain ;  but  when  he  proposed  to  talk  to  me  of  his 
adventures  and  tell  me  of  what  they  had  been,  then  my  unconquer 
able  curiosity  concerning  such  subjects  overcame  my  loathing 
gradually,  and  we  became  almost  good  friends,  while  I  sat  for 
hours  and  listened  to  him. 

He  had  been  away  to  the  remote  and  unknown  country  of 

•  A  nick-name  by  which  I  was  known  at  the  time  we  went  to  fchool 
together ;  given  to  me  because  I  wore  ruffles,  while  the  other  boyi  worr 
plain  collars,  or  as  often  none  at  all. 


10 

Texas,  and  wonderful  indeed  were  the  narrations  which  h« 
had  to  give  concerning  its  Mexican  rancheros,  traders,  and 
robbers  ;  concerning  its  fierce  wild  tribes  of  lance-bearing 
Indians  on  their  swift  horses,  their  long  black  hair, "  stream 
ing  to  the  winds,  bedizened  with  circlets  and  bunches  of  dyed 
feathers ;  its  innumerable  buffalo  and  wild  horses,  in  great  herds, 
pouring  over*  flowery  plains  like  dark,  thundering  rivers  over 
flown  ;  its  ferocious  beasts — the  bear,  the  puma,  cougar,  hyena, 
and  leopard  cat ;  and  of  his  few  countrymen,  its  more  ferocious 
settlers,  in  their  first  deadly  collisions  with  the  bloody  cowardice 
of  the  base  soldiery  of  Mexico. 

Though  he  was  ignorant  and  rude,  yet  he  had  seen  every- 
thing  vividly;  and  with  a  graphic  skill  that  was  entirely 
unconscious,  but  which  I  have  often  noticed  to  be  possessed 
by  such  men  of  rude,  adventurous  lives,  he  always  seized  upon 
the  salient  points  of  hts  picture,  and  gave  you,  perhaps  in 
two  words,  or  at  most  in  a  sentence,  those  features  which  define 
it  to  you  at  once — show  it  to  be  unlike  anything  else.  Thus, 
though  his  lips  were  stiff,  his  enunciation  slow,  his  language  mean, 
studded  with  horrid  blasphemies  and  a  mongrel'  slang,  part  Mexi 
can,  American,  and  Indian,  yet  somehow  he  managed  to  give  me  a 
strikingly  real  description  of  everything  concerning  which  he  spokc^ 
though  this  may  have  been  owing,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  eager 
and  pertinacious  curiosity  with  which  I  followed  up  his  least  sug 
gestive  word  with  close  questioning,  until  I  had  drawn  out  from 
him,  to  the  satisfaction  of  my  own  mind,  all  that  was  necessary  to 
the  full  elimination  of  the  object  or  scene. 

Thus,  though  his  mind  was  void  of  fancy  to  the  bleakness  of 
a  "  Cimmerian  waste,"  yet  I  obtained  from  him  a  warm  and 
glowing  picture  of  the  tropical  productiveness  of  this  new  land  ; 
of  its  rich  and  yellow  fruits ;  of  its  vast  flower- robed  prairies  ; 
of  its  mighty  forest  tangles,  draped  with  long,  grey,  drooping 
moss,  matted  and  wreathed  with  long  vines  that  hung  their  snake- 
like  garlands  in  fierce  colored  clusters  of  poisonous  bloom  "  ij  the 
sick  air  ;"  of  its.  cotton  "tree,"  with  huge  boles  ;  of  its  marvellous 
productiveness  in  all  grains ;  and  last,  its  untold  and  unimagin. 
able  wealth  in  the  precious  metals  and  stones ;  its  gold  and  silver 
mines,  far  to  the  north  and  west,  among  the  mountains,  to  reach 


11 

which  you  must  pass  over  arid  plains,  to  fight  your  way 
through  the  country  of  ferocious  Indian  tribes.  Here  I  failed  tt 
obtain  that  sort  of  strict  definiteness  of  outline  which  I  had  suc 
ceeded  in  drawing  out  in  other  cases. 

There  was  plenty  of  gold  there,  for  he  showed  me  his  uncouth 
brooch,  which  had  been  wrought  by  a  frontier  blacksmith  from  a 
large  lump  of  the  virgin  ore,  obtained  by  himself  from  a  Mexican, 
or  rather  Spanish-  trader  of  the  Rio  Grande,  who  professed  that 
he  obtained  it,  with  other  lumps  and  bars  which  I  was  permitted 
to  handle,  from  high  up  the  valley  of  "  the  Great  River,"  in  traffic 
with  tribes  of  peaceful  Indians  who  seemed  to  have  much  gold 
among  them.  Other  unwrought  specimens  of  silver  he  showed 
me,  which  he  said  he  had  picked  up,  during  a  solitary  trapping 
excursion,  among  the  mountains  north-west  of  San  Antonio  de 
Bexar.  Other  lumps  of  gold  had  been  obtained,  while  he  Was  a 
trapper,  in  trading  with  the  roving  Indians  of  the  plain,  who  all 
pointed  to  the  north-west  as  the  direction  whence  it  came  ;  yet  he 
could  give  me  no  clear  idea  of  localities,  and  seemed  to  think  this 
gold  region  so  remote  and  difficult  of  approach,  that  the  time  would 
hardly  ever  come  when  white  men  would  reach  it  to  possess  its 
treasures. 

There  must  have  been  between  one  and  two  thousand  dollars 
worth — though,  to  my  simplicity,  there  seemed  to  be  far  more 
— of  these  precious  metals  which  he  thus  exhibited  to  me, 
mostly  in  the  crude  state  in  which  they  had  been  obtained  by  him 
one  way  or  another  during  his  wild  and  multifarious  wanderings 
by  mountain,  river-side,  and  plain.  With  the  recklessness  cha 
racteristic  of  the  desperate  adventurer,  he  seemed  to  be  quite  in- 
different  to  the  value  of  the  glittering  store  with  .which  he  thus 
dazzled  my  boyish  vision ;  and  would  frequently,  with  almost  child- 
ish  carelessness,  offer  me  pieces  that  seemed  to  me  of  such  value, 
that  I  drew  back  in  astonishment  and  dread  from  the  dangerous 
temptation.  Of  course  my  youthful  and  impressible  fancy  greatly 
exaggerated  the  munificence  of  these  reckless  proffers;  but  then, 
when  in  addition  I  frequently  saw  the  youngej*  children  of  hi., 
father's  family,  and  even  the  little  negroes  playing  about  the  floor 
of  the  house  with  some  of  the  smallest  of  these  lumps,  which  he 
•rould  throw  to  them,  and  probably  never  think  of  afterwards,  UB 


12 

less  brought  bacK  to  him  by  the  older  members  of  the  family,  thii 
very  careless  disregard  of  what  other  men  are  so  careful  of, 
excited  me  still  more. 

Young  as  I  was,  it  is  not  surprising  it  appeared  to  me  a 
matter  of  wonder  that  he  must  be  amazingly  sure  of  his  resources 
before  he  could  be  so  inexplicably  indifferent;  that  he  must 
know  for  a  certainty  where  and  how  he  would  be  able  easily 
to  replace  the  treasures  he  was  thus  throwing  about  the  house 
like  common  pebbles;  and  then  as  a  necessity  I  could  but 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  not  told  me  all  he  knew— 
that  there  must  be  something  behind  all  this  yet  to  reveal.  It 
could  not  be  but  there  was  a  covert  motive  in  this  seemingly  studied 
vagueness  of  speech  as  to  the  manner  in  which  he  had  obtained 
these  metals,  and  as  to  the  localities  of  the  different  deposits  from 
which  they  had  been  obtained  by  others. 

Doubtless  he  chose  to  keep  such  information  to  himself,  for  his 
own  benefit  and  that  of  his  immediate  family.  Who  could  blame 
him,  supposing  this  to  be  true  ;  for  as  he  was  only  a  private  ad 
venturer,  and  not  a  public  officer  receiving  pay  of  the  government 
for  the  express  purpose  of  making  such  discoveries  by  survey  for 
the  public  benefit,  he  was  not  bound  to  make  any  disclosures 
but  such  as  he  chose. 

It  will  have  been  perceived  that  my  first  impressions  with 
regard  to  Texas  and  gold-mines  were  of  a  nature  not  to  be 
readily  dismissed.  They  were  thus  invested  to  me  with  all 
that  gorgeous  and  indefinite  romance  which  fired  the  Spanish 
chivalry  in  the  days  of  the  New  World  discovery  and  con. 
quest.  My  warm  and  restless  fancy  seized  upon  all  the 
details  which  could  be  drawn  from  this  man,  and  made  them 
a  portion  of  its  "  life  estate"  of  day  dreams ;  and  many 
deeds  of  high  enterprise  and  desperate  venture  worthy  of  Cas- 
tilian  knighthood,  did  I  see  and  win  through  half-clouded  eyes  in 
this  romantic  and  wonderful  land  of  strange  virgin  loveliness  and 
boundless  wealth.  P.  did  not  stay  long,  but  returned,  taking  with 
him  two  of  his  brothers,  to  be  followed,  in  time  by  the  whole 
family.  But  we  shall  come  again  to  this  man's  history  before 
we  get  through  with  our  narrative  ;  for  the  present  it  must  giy« 
way  to  other  details. 


18 


CHAPTER  II. 

FAMILY     QUARRELS. 

IT  was  a  savage  and  remarkable  race — these  P.'s.  Th« 
patriarch  of  them  all  was  an  old  man  of  eighty  years  when  I  can 
first  remember  him.  For  fifteen  years  he  seemed  to  me  un 
changed.  His  tall  slender  form  remained  slightly  bowed,  and" 
his  thin  white  hair  I  never  could  discover  grew  any  thinner ;  nor 
did  his  old  eyes  to  the  last  look  any  more  bleared  and  watery, 
nor  were  the  deep  seams  in  his  face  cut  any  deeper.  I  never 
saw  him  but  with  an  undefined  feeling  of  curious  awe  ;  for  with 
his  six  gigantic  sons  around  him,  he  always  reminded  me  of  an 
old  thunder-blasted  oak  that  the  storms  since  had  spared,  to  lift  its 
bowed  and  splintered  head  amidst  the  rank  and  overtoppling  forest 
of  its  shoots,  which,  while  they  kept  off  the  blessing  of  the  sun's 
rays,  would  not  let  it  even  decay  beneath  their  chilling  shadows  ; 
and  so  it  was  with  the  poor  old  man,  his  heart  and  life  seemed 
both  "  astonied"  by  the  horrible  ingratitude  of  his  brutal  boys. 
He  was  a  very  quiet  man,  and  had  a  subdued  and  absorbed  look, 
but  was  a  fierce  and  pitiless  hater  withal.  He  seemed  to  live  for 
and  upon  hate  ;  it  had  become  "  a  kind  of  nutriment !" — and  most 
fearful  of  all,  hate  for  his  own  offspring !  He  was  at  desperate 
feud  with  all  of  them  except  one.  They  frequently  threatened 
each  other's  lives  ;  and  curses  so  awful  and  bitter  as  he  would  let 
fall  upon  their  grey  heads,  it  is  well  that  men  do  not  often  hear. 
Their  ages  ranged  from  thirty-five  to  sixty ;  and  yet,  strange  to 
tell,  their  heads  were  all,  with  a  single  exception,  prematurely 
whitened.  They  were  greatly  above  the  medium  size,  and  some 

2 


14 

of  them  were  of  very  imposing  forms,  though  the  face*  of  most  of 
them  were  blotched  by  debauchery.  All  these  men  were  at 
desperate  enmity  with  each  other  likewise,  and  these  unnatura1 
dissensions  resulted  finally  in  a  dreadful  tragedy. 

The  man  of  most  wealth  and  acknowledged  standing  and  ability 
among  them  was  the  father  of  Bill  P.,  of  whom  I  first  spoke.  He 
was  at  deadly  enmity  with  the  father  and  all  the  other  brothers.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  presence,  with  a  face  expressing  great  suavity, 
with  intellectual  astuteness,  yet  he  was  known  to  be  and  dreaded 
as  a  man  of  bloody  and  vindictive  passions.  In  a  street  fray  he  had 
once  cut  a  man  almost  literally  to  pieces,  inflicting  some  twenty 
wounds  upon  him  with  a  long  knife,  and  with  such  rapidity  that 
the  bystanders  had  no  time  to  realize  that  the  man  was  hurt  be 
fore  he  fell  dead,  killed  as  many  times  over  as  there  were  wounds, 
— if  such  a  thing  be  possible, — for  any  one  of  them  was  mortal. 
Those  were  rude  times,  and  his  wealth  -and  the  plea  of  self-de 
fence  were  sufficient  to  release  him.  Nor  was  this  all ;  for  it  wag 
rumored  that  he  had  fought  duels  with  fatal  results. 

Yet  in  spite  of  these  dark  shadows  upon  his  life,  he  was 
not  only  one  of  the  most  influential  persons  in  the  country, 
but  one  of  the  most  universally  respected  and  beloved;  and 
the  population  was  as  good  as  any  in  Kentucky,  or  the  south- 
west.  His  mind  was  of  a  very  commanding  order ;  he  was 
extraordinarily  active,  public-spirited,  and  benevolent — the  liberal 
and  kind  father  of  an  unusually  large  family — for  he  had 
married  young,  and  his  wife  had  borne  him  eighteen  children, 
all  but  one  of  them  boys.  He  was  reputed  one  of  the 
best  masters  in  the  country;  just  but  lenient  as  a  public 
officer,  he  was  universally  approved  and  even  admired  for  im 
partiality,  and  he  would  accept  no  office  for  either  its  honors  or 
emolument,  but,  as  it  seemed,  for  the  practical  good  he  could 
accomplish  through  its  means.  How,  then,  could  he  be  otherwise 
than  highly  popular  and  influential  in  these  comparatively  new 
social  conditions,  in  which  such  common  attributes  of  good 
citizenship  are  necessarily  so  highly  esteemed  ?  Indeed,  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that  had  good  citizenship  been  entitled  to 
a  civic  crown,  it  would  certainly  have  been  unanimously  awarded 
to  this  man,  in  spite  of  all  the  past.  His  character  was  most  dew 


15 

dedly  contrasted  with  that  of  his.brothers,  who  were  dissipated  and 
turbulent  men.  I  have  said  that  he  was  at  feud  with  all  his 
brothers  ;  but  there  was  one,  the  youngest,  who  died  before  I  can 
remember,  and  whom  he  professed  to  love  very  much.  He  was 
literally  the  "  Benjamin — the  child  of  his  old  age,"  to  the  patriarch 
who  loved  him  deeply. 

He  must  have  been  the  only  redeeming  spirit  among  them, 
for  it  was  always  said  of  him  that  he  was  the  genius  and  orator 
of  the  family.;  and  the  proof  of  his  being  a  man  of  some  parts 
existed  at  the  time  of  his  early  death  in  a  considerable  fortune, 
which  had  been  legitimately  amassed  at  the  bar,  in  his  pro 
fession  as  advocate  or  pleader,  in  criminal  cases.  He  had  an 
only  child,  a  daughter,  then  very  young;  and  she,  upon  his  death 
bed,  he  left  in  charge  of  this  elder  brother  John  D.  P.,  along 
with  her  whole  fortune  in  trust  for  her  benefit.  As  this  child 
grew  up  along  with  his  own  daughter,  no  stranger  could  have 
discovered,  or  even  suspected,  that  she  was  other  than  his  own 
child,  unless  the  difference  of  features  had  suggested  something. 
Indeed,  although  we  were  constantly  playmates  as  children,  I  did 
not  know  this  fact  until  we  were  all  nearly  grown  up ;  and  one 
chief  and  standing  topic  of  praise  of  this  "  model-citizen,"  common 
throughout  the  country,  was  this  seemingly  entire  adoption  on  his 
part  of  the  little  orphan,  and  tender  faithfulness  to  his  beloved 
brother's  holy  trust.'  The  people  forgave  him  for  hating  those 
that  were  alive  in  consideration  of  his  truth  to  him  that  was  dead, 
and  found  many  ingenious  excuses  for  his  want  of  sympathy  with 
such  dissipated  men,  in  the  creditable  fact  that  he  himself  was  a 
strictly  sober  man.  So  although  nobody  ever  knew  what  had 
become  of  the  little  orphan's  property,  and  though  some  few  ene 
mies — the  other  brothers  particularly — intimated  pretty  roundly 
that  there  was  something  very  mysterious  and  inexplicable  in  the 
business,  the  public  raised  the  hue  and  cry  of  indignant  rebuke 
at  any  imputation  upon  the  honor  of  their  favorite,  and  would 
not  hear  of  the  possibility  that  he  would  not  honestly  and  strictly 
render  up  an  account  of  his  trust  when  the  child  came  of  age. 

Perhaps  there  never  was  witnessed  a  more  striking  instance  ol 
the  unanimity  of  puWic  sentiment  in  favor  of  any  one  man  tnan 
this  afforded.  "  He  has  lived  among  us  since  his  boyhood,''  the* 


16 

would  say,  "  and  we  should  know  the  man  by  this  time?  nearly  50 
years.  We  know  he  is  vindictive  when  wronged,  and  that  hia 
anger  is  very  dangerous  when  roused  ;  but  then  he  is  courteous 
and  peaceful  when  not  assailed,  strictly  orderly  and  honorable  in 
his  dealings ;  in  a  word,  the  general  tenor  of  the  man's  life  gives 
the  lie  utterly  to  any  such  foul  insinuations — away  with  them !" 

His  accusers  were  literally  obliged  to  hide  their  heads  from  the 
storm.  There  was  my  uncle-^than  whom  a  man  of  more  clear- 
souled  honor  and  stern  integrity  never  breathed  God's  blessed  air, 
who  had  been  his  partner  in  business  for  twenty  years — he  would 
at  any  time  have  defended  him  against  such  imputations  as 
promptly  and  as  fiercely  as  himself.  There  was  my  father,  a 
just,  dignified,  God-fearing,  honorable  man,  who  had  been  for  the 
same  length  of  time  his  family  physician  and  intimate  friend ; 
and  yet,  who  seldom  had  his  habitual  equanimity  so  promptly 
ruffled,  as  upon  the  occasion  of  any  insinuation  against  the 
character  and  motives  of  this  extraordinary  person.  By  the  way, 
my  mother  always  detested  him  without  knowing  why,  and  would 
only  visit  his  house  when  he  was  away  from  home,  although  she 
loved  his  meek  and  gentle  wife. 

These  two  men  were  equally  esteemed  with  himself,  and 
of  the  same  social  rank  ;  they  had  possessed  the  very  best 
opportunities  for  sounding  the  depths  of  his  nature,  and  yet  we 
shall  see  that  they,  along  with  a  majority  of  the  men 'of  their 
class,  continued  long,  through  the  most  astoundingly  terrible 
developments  and  events,  to  be-  his  closest  friends  and  warmest 
defenders.  When  I  come  to  think  of  all  the  patient  and  diabolical 
subtlety  of  this  man's  nature,  when  once  the  temptation  of  gold, 
of  unbounded  wealth,  was  presented  to  him,  I  feel  myself  shudder 
and  sicken  with  a  hopeless  feeling  of  distrust  of  all  mankind,  and 
every  "  outward  seeming." 

His  son  had  now  returned,  as  I  have  related,  and  brought 
back  with  him  the  stories  and  the  palpable  evidences  of 
enormous  wealth  to  be  obtained  in  Texas.  The  model  citizen 
appeared  to  pay  little  attention  to  these  stories,  which  he  pre 
tended  to  regard  as  the  wildest  and  most  improbable  romance ; 
he  was  too  much  absorbed  in  his  grave  duties  as  father, 
roaster,  and  public  officer,  to  have  leisure  for  such  trifling 


17 

To  be  sure,  when  one  of  his  boys,  then  just  verging  upon  man. 
hood,  exhibited  some  restlessness  and  anxiety  to  adventure  in  thai 
direction,  he  did  not  oppose  his  wishes,  but  invested  a  consider 
able  sum  for  him  in  sheep,  which  were  then  bringing  large  prices 
along  the  new  Red  River  Settlements,  and  sent  him  off  to  trade 
for  himself.  Mark  you,  it  was  not  to  Texas  that  the  young  man 
was  sent — so  the  excellent  father  said  ! 

Everybody  thought  it  was  very  natural  that  he  should  want 
to  get  such  a  loose-jointed,  coarse  booby  out  of  his  sight,  as 
this  "  Kit*'  or  Columbus  was.  This  fellow,  "Kit,"  was  a  far 
baser  wretch  than  his  brother,  for  he  was  as  pusillanimous  as  the 
other  was  ruffianly,  and  was  thought  to  be  admirably  well  dis 
posed  of,  as  a  sheep-drover.  In  eight  or  ten  months  he  returned, 
having  been,  as  it  was  rumored,  very  successful.  At  all  events, 
an  immense  flock  of  sheep  was  this  time  purchased  in  a  great 
hurry,  for  a  return  trip.  To  pay  for  these,  the  model  citizen 
drew  heavily  upon  the  credit  of  the  firm  of  which  my  uncle  was 
his  partner.  Thus  matters  went  on  for  another  year,  and  in  the 
meantime  it  began  to  be  noticed  that  he  was  gradually  selling 
off  all  his  property  except  his  negroes.  The  excuse  for  this  was, 
that  the  vicissitudes  of  this  new  trade  rendered  heavy  outlays 
constantly  necessary,  and  people  only  thought  that  it  was  nobody's 
business  but  his  own. 

Not  so  with  one  of  his  brothers,  Matthew,  or  Mat,  as  he 
was  called,  who  openly  accused  him  of  an  intention  to  get  all 
his  property  out  of  the  country,  and  thus  defraud  his  orphan 
niece.  As  usual  the  whole  country  was  indignant,  but  this 
time  Mat  would  not  be  silenced  by  the  hue  and  cry,  and  con 
tinued  pertinaciously  to  proclaim  aloud  the  evidences  of  his 
brother's  intended  villany  ;  for  he  said,  "  the  girl  is  now  nearly 
come  of  age,  and  as  he  has  used  up  her  estate,  and  has  no  inten 
tion  of  making  any  restitution,  see  he  is  every  day  selling  off 
some  portion  of  his  lands,  and  preparing  to  run  away  to  Texas ! 
It  is  in  Texas  where  he  has  been  opening  a  plantation  for 
years  past,  instead  of  Arkansas,  as  he  pretends !  See,  he  sends 
off  eight  or  ten  negroes  every  year  *  to  help  to  drive  the  sheep,' 
as  he  says,  but  in  reality  to  get  them  out  of  the  country,  for  we 

all  know  that  none  of  them  have  ever  come  back  yet !" 

2* 


18 

These  were  very  serious  charges,  and  in  spite  of  the  genera* 
confidence,  the  eyes  of  the  public  began  to  be  turned  upon  the 
character  of  these  proceedings.  This  annoyed  the  model  citizen, 
and  in  the  coolest  manner  possible  he  resolved  to  put  a  stop  to  it, 
as  it  was  interfering  with  his  purposes.  He  went  to  work 
accordingly,  to  enrage  his  brother  Mat  to  the  highest  possible 
degree  of  fury,  that  he  might  take  him  at  advantage.  Mat  was  a 
drunkard,  and  abused  his  wife.  John  now  all  at  once  inter 
fered,  to  "  protect"  her,  as  he  called  it,  and  directed  public 
attention  from  his  own  movements,  to  the  brutality  of  his  brother, 
which  his  interference  only  made  more  notorious,  of  course. 
This,  as  he  expected,  drove  Mat  into  an  ungovernable  fury, 
and  he  repeatedly  threatened  John's  life. 

This,  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  is  justification  of  murder.  When 
this  point  had  been  attained  securely  by  the  repeated  drunken 
blustering  of  the  harmless  sot  about  the  streets  of  the  town,  the 
model  citizen  one  day  put  a  great  blunderbuss  of  a  holster  pistol, 
heavily  loaded  with  buck-shot,  into  his  pocket,  took  a  pinch  01 
snuff,  and  walked  out  of  the  store  on  to  the  street ;  as  he  walked 
down  it,  his  brother  Mat  was  sitting  engaged  in  some  maudlin 
gossip,  near  a  door  on  the  side-walk ;  as  he  came  opposite  he 
stopped,  Mat  looked  up,  and  seeing  that  hated  brother  with  the 
deadly  glare  of  Cain  in  his  eye  stand  before  him,  sprang  in  a 
flurried  manner  to  his  feet,  and  commenced  fumbling  confusedly 
in  his  pockets  behind  him.  The  model  citizen  deliberately  drew 
his  blunderbuss,  and  the  frightened  sot  commenced  retreating ;  but 
no,  the  inexorable  fate  was  upon  him,  and  that  terrible  brother, 
with  cool  and  steady  aim,  fired  at  his  head.  The  poor  wretch 
,spun  round  and  round,  blindly  staggered  a  few  steps  inside  the 
door,  and  fell  sweltering  in  his  blood.  The  model  citizen  returned 
his  big  pistol  to  his  pocket,  took  out  his  silver  snuff-box,  rapped 
it  twice,  as  usual,  took  a  pinch,  and  walked  back  to  his  store  with 
his  usual  business  step. 

The  people  were  wild  with  horror  at  this  monstrous  crime, 
thus  committed  with  business-like  deliberation  in  the  broad  day 
light,  and  in  the  open  street.  Women  sickened  and  fell  down  in 
swoons ;  men  grew  white  as  death,  and  shivered  with  loathing 
dread.  The  thing  was  too  infernal — too  hideous  to  be  realized  ! 


19 

t  could  not  possibly  be  that  the  pistol  was  loaded — that  the  blood 
aey  pointed  at  with  shaking  fingers  on  their  street,  was  blood 
bed  by  the  hand  of  a  brother !  Horror !  horror  !  horror !  Can 
:  be  ?  Is  he  dead  ?  was  whispered  from  one  to  another,  by  pale 
ps  of  shuddering  men  that  gathered  about  the  house,  while  the 
lodel  citizen  was  sitting  in  a  careless  posture  upon  the  counter 
f  his  own  store,  and  with  bland  and  smiling  face,  relating  the 
ircumstances  of  the  appalling  murder ;  for  he  and  every  one 
Ise  outside  of  the  house  into  which  Mat  staggered,  supposed  the 
mn  must  be  dead  of  course. 

I  have  witnessed  many  bloody  deaths,  and  much  suffer- 
ig,  but  I  shall  forgef  everything  else  before  the  memory 
f  that  day  can  pass  from  me.  It  fell  like  a  bolt  from 

cloudless  sky,  and  astounded  me  into  a  new  realization  of 
le  dreadful  possibilities  of  life !  God  of  heavens !  what  an 
wful  crime  it  seemed  to  me  f  It  nearly  took  my  breath  to 
link  of  it;  and  when  there  was  a  rumor  came  out  into  the 
;reet  from  my  father,  who  was  ministering  in  his  professional 
apacity  to  the  wretched  victim,  that  he  was  not  dead,  and  that 
lere  was  even  a  possibility  of  his  surviving,  my  chest  was 
eaved  with  long-drawn  breathings,  and  I  once  more  dared  to 
)ok  up  to  heaven,  without  fear  that  it  was  falling  upon  the  earth 
>  blot  it  out  for  such  a  crime.  I  felt  as  if  the  good  God  had 
pared  the  earth  in  preventing  this  unnatural  sin  I 

Inexpressibly  great  was  the  astonishment  of  all  those  who  had 
witnessed  the  deed,  when  the  physicians  announced  that  they  did 
ot  consider  the  wounds  as  fatal,  immediately  at  least ;  that  there 
fas  a  probability  of  the  man's  surviving  for  a  considerable  time 
-it  might  be  years !  And  strangely  enough,  it  turned  out  that 
le  deadly  and  infernal  malignity  of  the  intended  murderer  had, 
i  some  measure,  defeated  his  own  purpose.  He  had  intended  to 
hoot  his  brother  full  in  the  face,  and  as  his  face  shrank  to  one 
icte  before  the  deadly  tube,  this  dogged  purpose  followed  in 
inconscious  aim,  the  first  mark,  until,  when  the  pistol  exploded, 
nly  the  side  of  the  face  was  presented ;  and  although  that  was 
rushed  almost  into  a  jelly  by  the  shot,  and  the  principal  bones 
Token,  they  slanted  off  from  the  brain,  which  was  not  fully  pene- 
rated  by  any  of  them,  though  one  or  two  were  thought  to  be 


20 

tying  against  its  membraneous  covering,  and  would,  of  course 
continue  to  constantly  endanger  his  life. 

But  enough  of  these  revolting  details,  which  must  by  this 
time  seem  somewhat  irrelevant  to  the  subject  matter  of  oui 
book ;  but  a  little  patience  will  show  that  they  are  not  so  by  an} 
means.  As  a  literal  detail  of  actual  events  which  I  have  long 
yearned  with  the  feeling  that  it  is  a  sort  of  duty  on  my  part  t( 
give  to  the  public,  they  will  also  be  found  to  constitute  a  con 
sistent  part  of  that  personal  reminiscence  of  motive  and  experi 
ences,  which  I  from  the  first  proposed  to  give,  and  which  have 
led  me  to  such  strong  convictions  with  regard  to  the  existence  o 
vast  and  undeveloped  resources  of  mineral  wealth,  within  th( 
unexplored  interior  of  our  Continent ;  the  road  to  which,  anc 
even  through  or  over  which,  lies  within  the  boundaries  o 
Texas. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


THE    DEPARTURE. 

Bur  to  continue  the  outlines  of  my  narrative.  Not  the  least 
^markable  part  of  this  extraordinary  affair  is,  thai  so  soon  as  the 
eople  were  relieved  of  that  burden  of  horror  which  had  weighed 
pon  them  in  the  thought  of  Mat's  actual  death,  a  great  reaction 
mnediately  occurred  in  the  feeling  towards  their  favorite,  the 
lodel  citizen.  At  first  there  had  been  great  danger  of  the 
xcitement  finding  a  vent  in  some  act  of  prompt  and  summary 
engeance ;  but  then,  as  the  man  was  not  killed  at  all,  it  altered 
le  case  materially. 

Murmurs  of  partial  exculpation  began  to  be  heard,  and  in 
ic  course  of  a  day  or  two  many  of  our  best  citizens  began 
>  express  openly  the  opinion  that  there  were  many  things 
fhich  went  to  excuse  the  act.  First,  it  was  insisted  that  he 
vidently  did  not  intend  to  kill  his  brother,  as  was  plain  enough 
rom  the  manner  in  which  he  had  aimed ;  but  only  to  teach  him  a 
ound  lesson  by  mutilating  him  somewhat.  A  stopper  was 
infortunately  put  upon  this  charitable  construction  when  it  leaked 
iut,  that  the  only  time  when  his  equanimity  had  appeared  at  all 
uffled,  had  been  when  the  news  came  to  him  while  he  still  sat  on 
he  counter,  by  this  time  talking  indifferently  with  his  partner 
i pon  business  subjects,  that  his  brother  was  not  killed.  He 
tarted  slightly,  and  said  in  a  tone  of  hearty  vexation,  "  Damn 
lim,  it's  a  pity !"  then  resumed  the  subject  of  his  conversation 
vith  my  uncle. 

This  was  a  right  hard  pill   for  his   admirers   to  swallow ; 


22 

and  yet  such  was  the  blind  confidence  in  the  man's  in. 
tegrity,  of  all  who  thought  they  knew  him  best,  that  there 
.seemed  to  be  a  resolute  purpose  among  them  to  find  him  guiltless, 
though  there  was  a  party  far  stronger  in  numerical  strength 
which  still  regarded  him  with  implacable  sternness,  and  were 
determined  to  visit  upon  him  the  utmost  vengeance  of  the  law.  His 
defenders,  now  that  poor  Mat  was  out  of  immediate  danger,  opened 
furiously  upon  his  reputation,  which  was  bad  enough,  for  drunken 
ness  and  brutality  to  his  wife.  He  evidently  intended  to  have 
murdered  John,  if  John  had  not  shot  him  ;  he  had  threatened  his 
life  time  after  time  in  public  places,  and  but  the  day  before 
had  sworn  to  shoot  him  the  next  time  he  saw  him  in  the  street : 
that  at  the  very  time  when  John  shot  him,  he  was  endeavoring 
to  extricate  a  pistol,  which  had  got  entangled  in  his  coat-pocket 
behind,  with  the  intention  of  putting  his  repeated  threats  into 
execution  then,  and  that  John  had  only  been  too  quick  for  him, 
&c.,  &c.,  &c.  It  was  thus  the  evidence  they  brought  forward 
on  the  trial  ran,  going  to  make  it  out  a  clear  case  of  self-defence, 
and  therefore  in  any  result  justifiable. 

But  it  was  upon  his  trial  that  the  extraordinary  subtlety,  tact, 
and  intellectual  force  of  this  man's  nature  became  most  strikingly 
apparent.  He  employed  no  counsel,  but  defended  his  own  cause, 
standing  alone  amidst  a  strong  array  of  the  best  forensic  talent  of 
the  country  on  the  other  side.  The  case  excited  immense  in 
terest,  and  there  was  a  great  crowd  collected  from  far  and  near 
to  hear  it  through  several  days.  The  victim,  who  was  by  this 
time  able  to  get  out,  was  there,  with  face  muffled  in  bandages, 
confronted  with  his  intended  murderer.  Though  a  man  of  coarse 
nature,  he  would  have  been  a  rather  noble-looking  brute  but  for 
his  habits  of  vulgar  excess.  Confinement  and  suffering  had  re 
moved  many  of  these  marks ;  and  now  with  his  glossy  black  hair 
— the  single  exception  among  them — and  the  livid  pallor  of  those 
portions  of  his  face  which  could  be  seen,  he  offered  a  striking 
contrast  with  the  grey  hair  and  ruddy  faces  of  the  other  brothers 
who  were  gathered  eagerly  in  and  about  the  bar.  He  was  evi 
dently  cowed  and  terrified  at  the  sight  of  John,  and  it  took  some 
time  for  his  heavy  nature  to  regain  self-command.  The  fratri 
cide,  with  his  bland,  indifferent  gaze  as  he  turned  it  slowly  about 


23 

h^n,  measured  his  victim  over  his  spectacles  while  taking  a  pinch 
of  snuff,  and  then  quietly  addressed  himself  to  the  arrangement 
of  his  papers. 

As  the  case  progressed,  the  opposing  lawyers,  who  had  ex. 
pected  easy  work  in  making  out  their  case,  when  they  found 
themselves  opposed  by  a  man  who  was  not  known  to  have  made 
law  a  study,  and  certainly  never  practised  it  in  the  courts, 
began  to  find  that  they  had  been  reckoning  without  their  host. 
In  a  very  little  while  judge,  jury,  and  ^  audience"  at  least  became 
convinced  that  he  knew  as  much  about  law  as  the  whole  of  them, 
for  he  met  them  promptly  in  all  the  "  low  dodges"  of  special 
pleading,  as  well  as  upon  precedent  and  general  principles.  When 
the  examination  of  the  more  important  witnesses  came  on,  he 
showed  that  he  had  been  rather  indulging  in  a  slight  gladiatorial 
display  of  intellectual  prowess  with  the  lawyers  for  the  purpose 
of  infusing  into  them  a  little  wholesome  respect,  than  been  really 
in  earnest  as  yet. 

Now  the  surprising  abilities  of  the  man  came  out  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  perhaps  in  their  true  light.  In  the  cross-question 
ing  of  these  witnesses  he  made  his  case  without  the  necessity  of 
pleading,  in  spite  of  the  common  sense  of  court,  jury,  and  public. 
He  had  never  intended  to  play  the  advocate  for  his  own  cause,  as 
he  knew  that  would  place  him  at  disadvantage,  but  saw  that  he 
must  succeed  in  producing  the  necessary  effect  at  this  point,  or 
never.  And  he  did  produce  it.  These  principal  witnesses  that 
stood  in  his  way  were  the  intimate  personal  friends  of  his  brother, 
and  mostly  like  himself  dissolute  and  unprincipled  men.  He 
knew  them  thoroughly,  and  the  general  public  knew  little, 
though  there  was  suspicion, 

He  first  made  it  evident  to  themselves  that  he  had  pos 
sessed  himself  of  many  facts  with  regard  to  their  past  history 
which  they  supposed  it  impossible  for  him  to  be  informed  of, 
and  the  publicity  of  which  would  be  anything  but  desirable. 
He  then  gave  them  to  understand  by  the  most  subtle  indi. 
cations,  the  meaning  of  which  was  for  the  most  part  apparent 
only  to  themselves,  that  having  it  in  his  power  he  intended  to 
make  them  "  own  up"  to  these  things  or  forswear  themselves,  and 
be  driven  out  of  court  into  the  penitentiary.  This  discomposed 


24 

and  frightened  the  fellows,  wno,  with  everybody  else,  had  now 
become  so  thoroughly  impressed  by  the  unexpected  resources  ol 
legal  acquirement  he  had  already  displayed,  that  they  were  pre. 
pared  to  expect  anything  from  him.  They  lost  confidence  in 
themselves ;  even  when  they  were  telling  the  plain,  straightfor 
ward  truth,  with  the  quiet  threatening  of  his  cold  grey  eyes  upon 
them,  searching  their  consciousness  to  its  very  depths,  they 
became  confused  and,  what  he  intended  they  should  become, 
inconsistent. 

In  this  way  he  served  the  three  most  important  witnesses  of 
the  complaint,  until  they  had  involved  themselves  with  themselves 
and  each  other  to  such  a  hopeless  degree,  that  it  was  not  consi 
dered  necessary  to  argue  the  case ;  and  the  judge,  after  a  short 
charge,  sent  out  the  jury,  who  returned  in  a  few  hours  with  a 
verdict  of  acquittal — so  plain  a  case  of  justification  in  self- 
defence  had  it  been  made  out  to  them.  There  was  a  general 
rejoicing  at  the  verdict,  for  the  public  were  for  the  time  as  much 
impressed  as  the  jury  and  court  had  been ;  and  I  have  frequently 
since  heard  men  of  high  legal  attainments  acd  general  intelli 
gence  express  the  opinion  that  this  defence  fully  equalled  if  not 
surpassed  in  cunning  and  intellectual  astuteness  that  of  the 
famous  Eugene  Aram. 

The  cases  are  not  unlike  so  far  as  the  absolute  criminality, 
and  the  cool,  inexorable  subtlety  of  the  criminals  is  concerned. 
Mat  died  within  the  second  year  after  receiving  his  wounds, 
as  his  physician  said  he  probably  would  on  the  trial,  of  the 
dropping  in  of  the  shot — which  could  not  be  extricated — upon 
the  brain  through  its  abraded  membranous  covering,  so  that 
John  was  a  fratricide  in  deed,  which  is  worse  than  the  crime 
of  Eugene  Aram.  Then  by  this  time  it  became  perfectly  evi 
dent  that  this  murder  was  only  a  part  of  a  long  and  deliberately 
planned  scheme  of  villany  even  more  unnaturally  monstrous— if 
there  be  such  a  possibility — than  fratricide  itself.  Poor  Mat,  by 
his  pertinacious  accusations,  had  unfortunately  placed  himself  in 
the  way  of  the  success  of  this  scheme,  and  his  murder  was 
determined  upon  as  deliberately  as  if  he  had  been  some  trouble 
some  wild  vermin  that  by  foraging  upon  his  hen-roost  interfered 
with  his  enjoyment  of  the  luxury  of  fresh  eggs  for  breakfast 


25 

The  rruth  then  became  evident,  though  it  had  always  existed 
in  reality,  that  the  wretched  Matthew  was  only  formidable  to 
John,  or  to  anybody  else,  through  his  tongue ;  that  John  did  not 
choose  to  have  public  attention  attracted  to  his  operations  in 
this  way,  and  so  became  suddenly  officious  in  interfering  between 
Mat  and  his  wife,  whom  he  now  took  occasion  to  protect  and  carry 
home  with  him  because  she  had  been  beaten ;  though  it  was  noto 
rious  that  this  same  thing  had  been  repeated  over  and  over  again 
for  years  past ;  that  he  knew  his  brother  perfectly  in  doing  this, 
as  it  caused  him  to  commit  himself  in  his  drunken  ravings  by 
threats  of  personal  violence  so  openly  made  as  to  furnish  him 
justification  in  the  letter  of  the  law  for  murdering  him  to  stop  his 
mouth  ;  that  it  was  John  who  stopped  in  the  street  before  his 
brother,  as  if  to  invite  attack,  and  that  if  the  frightened  and 
bloated  boaster  did  have  a  pistol  in  his  coat  pocket,  and  was 
attempting  to  draw  it,  a  man  of  John's  astonishing  coolness  must 
have  seen  perfectly  that  there  was  neither  any  danger  of  his  get 
ting  the  pistol  out  of  his  pocket,  nor  of  using  it  to  any  effect  if  he 
did. 

But  why  stop  there,  if  it  was  not  with  the  purpose  to  kill 
him  in  the  first  place,  and  then  why  follow  up  his  shuffling  and 
shrinking  retreat  with  his  relentless  aim^  if  death  was  not  the 
determination  ?  The  pistol  was  found  in  the  wounded  man's 
pocket,  but  it  was  so  entanged  in  the  lining  by  the  lock  that  it 
could  never  have  been  extricated  without  tearing  away  the  whole 
skirt. 

All  these  facts,  as  well  as  the  devilish  petulance  of  the  remark, 
"  Damn  him,  it's  a  pity !"  went  comparatively  for  nothing  on 
the  trial,  and  before  the  cool,  subtle,  imperative  intellect  of  this 
strange  man.  But  when  the  facts  which  followed  in  deliberate 
out  astounding  succession  had  time  to  settle  with  their  legitimate 
impressions  into  the  mind  of  the  public,  then  the  scales  fell  from 
ill  eyes,  and  men  realized  what  a  hideous  lie  his  life  had  been 
'.hroughout.  The  friends  who  had  been  nearest  to  him  before, 
now,  by  an  inexplicable  process  of  self-delusion,  convinced 
themselves  that  it  was  he  who  had  been  the  injured  party 
throughout,  and  clung  to  him  with  a  deeper  and  more  affeo 

3 


26 

tionate  confidence  than  eve.'  before.  This  did  not  move  for 
an  instant  the  inexorable  purpose  of  the  man  with  any  symptoms 
of  relenting,  but  rather,  from  the  sense  of  security  it;  afforded, 
seemed  to  precipitate  his  action. 

He  had  now,  by  repeated  drafts  upon  the  firm,  not  onlj 
abstracted  his  own  share  ,  of  the  capital,  but  considerably 
infringed  upon  that  of  my  uncle.  Having  announced  his 
purpose  to  make  one  more  trading  venture  heavier  than  all 
the  rest,  and  which  was  to  be  the  last,  he  proceeded  to 
make  very  large  investments  in  stock  in  such  a  way  that 
the  cash  payments  falling  upon  the  firm,  my  poor,  confiding 
uncle  was  compelled  to  meet  them  by  disbursing  what  few 
thousands  there  were  left  in  his  control.  He  did  this,  however, 
without  a  murmur,  and  in  the  face  of  the  avowed  fact  that  the 
negroes  were  now  nearly  all  gone,  and  the  rumor  that  a  cash  sale 
of  the  homestead  plantation  was  in  negotiation.  The  rumor  ho 
did  not  believe,  as  this  friend  and  partner  of  twenty  years  had 
not  mentioned  any  sue!)  thing  to  him ;  and  as  for  distrusting  him, 
he  would  distrust  his  own  soul  first ! 

Honorable  man  !  He  was  very  far  from  lacking  astuteness ; 
indeed  was  remarkable  for  his  shrewd  and  searching  insight  of 
character,  and  "for  his  bitter  and  uncompromising  scorn  of 
meanness  and  falsehood  :  yet  how  fatally  was  he  blinded  in 
this  case  ! 

As  the  preparations  for  this  great  trading  expedition  were 
brought  to  a  close,  symptoms  of  a  new  hue  and  cry  from 
all  the  other  brothers  united  began  to  be  heard.  They 
demanded,  as  the  orphan  girl  was  now  of  age,  that  John  D.  P. 
should  make  restitution  of  her  property  at  once,  before  leaviag 
the  country,  with  all  his  own  property  as  well  as  that  of  his 
partner.  Things  had  progressed  so  far  now  that  he  cared  very 
little  for  what  they  said :  he  merely  answered  contemptuously 
that  he  should  make  the  restitution  when  it  suited  his  convenience, 
and  that  furthermore,  lie  was  not  about  to  leave  the  country  at 
all ;  that  he  merely  intended  to  accompany  his  son  Kit  part  of 
the  way  to  Arkansas,  until  his  stock  were  broken  to  the  road,  and 
then  he  should  return  to  answer  all  charges  in  proper  person,  as 


27 
I 

they  had  lately  had  good  evidence  of  his  willingness  to  do !  This, 
satisfied  my  uncle  perfectly,  as  well  as  the  community,  and  again 
the  obstreperous  brothers  were  frowned  into  silence. 

Thus  he  started  with  his  great  droves  of  stock,  accompanied  as 
usual,  for  the  first  day's  drive,  by  my  uncle,  my  father,  and  many 
of  his  friends,  who  rode  with  him  in  advance  as  a  sort  of  triumphant 
escort  of  honor  intended  to  exhibit  to  his  enemies  the  unshaken 
confidence  and  respect  of  the  man  whom  they  so  pertinaciously 
traduced.  Along  with  my  cousin  Frank,  a  noble,  high-spirited, 
handsome  fellow,  some  four  years  older  than  myself,  I  formed  one 
of  the  body-guard.  The  scene  made  a  powerful  impression  upon 
me :  sometimes  at  a  long  stretch  of  the  road  I  would  look  back 
upon  an  immense  herd  of  7  or  8,000  hogs  filling  its  whole  breadth 
for  more  than  a  mile  ;  then,  in  the  rear  of  these,  the  white  and 
close-wedged  masses  of  several  thousand  sheep;  and  then,  far 
behind  these,  I  would  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  dark  phalanxes  of 
mules  coming  into  sight  for  a  moment  as  they  wound  along  the 
hillsides.  It  was  a  great  four-footed  army,  that  seemed  as  if  it 
must  sweep  the  granaries  of  the  land  as  it  passed  through  ;  and, 
together  with  the  twenty  negroes  and  the  hired  white  drivers  in  a 
still  greater  number,  struck  me  as  a  most  imposing  exhibition  of 
the  enterprise  and  daring  of  one  man.  For  all  this  tide  of  living 
creatures  was  to  be  controlled  and  guided  over  every  obstruction, 
and  most  of  the  way  through  a  new  country,  more  than  a 
thousand  miles  before  the  ostensible  market  could  be  reached. 
Certainly  much  that  was  surprising,  much  even  of  grandeur  was 
to  be  perceived  in  the  character  of  South-western  enterprises  in 
those  days ! 

The  first  day's  progress  was  only  some  eight  or  ten  miles, 
when  we  reached  a  large  caravansary,  or  country  tavern, 
standing  at  a  great  crossing  of  three  or  four  different  routes. 
Here  the  animals  were  all  penned,  with  the  view  of  separating 
them  into  three  detachments  the  next  morning,  when  they  would 
each  take  a  different  route  leading  in  the  same  general  direction, 
that  provender  for  so  large  a  number  might  be  insured  by  distri 
bution  over  a  wider  surface.  We  were  to  return  that  evening  to 
town,  and  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  parting  between  my  uncle 
and  this  man.  The  last  moments  were  passed  in  rapid  but  not 


28 

in  the  slightest  degree  flurried  recapitulations  of  those  small  items 
of  business  purport  which,  having  been  left  unprovided  for  in  the 
hurry,  required  at  least  temporary  adjustment  during  his  intended 
absence  of  a  few  weeks.  These  my  uncle  listened  to  with  that 
strict  attention  characteristic  of  the  scrupulously  honorable  man 
receiving  ever  so  small  a  charge  from  a  friend,  because  he 
intends  to  fulfil  it  to  the  letter.  On  the  features  of  both  men 
equally  there  was  that  profound  and  happy  repose  which  comes 
of  the  security  of  entire  trust,  and  disarms  a  parting  of 
all  bitterness.  They  looked  and  spoke  like  men  who  were 
only  separating,  as  they  had  done,  with  short  intervals,  each 
day  for  twenty  years,  to  go  to  their  respective  houses 
for  the  night,  and  return  again  to  meet  in  the  morning. 
My  uncle  Frank  was  a  few  years  the  youngest,  and  it  was 
an  amiable  pleasantry  of  his  to  keep  his  partner  con 
stantly  reminded  of  the  fact,  so  at  parting  he  shook  him  by 
the  hands  and  said  slily,  "  Take  care  of  yourself,  John  ;  remem 
ber  you  are  growing  old  !"  "  Good  bye,  Frank  ;  remember  me 
to  the  missus  !"  * 

•A  jocose  mode  of  designating  the  matron  of  a  family  common  in  the 
South,  and  derived  partly  from  chivalric  associations  and  partly  from  negro 
dan* 


20 


CHAPTER  IV. 


DEATH  OF  THE  BETRAYED  AND  BETRAYER 

THUS  these  two  men  parted  for  ever  on  earth  !  witr.  a  fami 
liar  and  affectionate  jest  on  either  side — a  jest  that  embodied  all 
that  there  had  been  of  uninterrupted  kindliness  and  mutual  con 
fidence  between  them  for  many  long  years  !  Yet,  when  I  came 
to  think  over  this  scene  afterwards,  the  only  thing  in  the  manner 
of  the  traitor  which  at  all  expressed  anything  like  consciousness 
on  his  part,  was  that  he  took  a  pinch  of  snuff — immediately  on 
lelting  fall  the  hand  of  the  friend  he  was  betraying — just  as  he 
did  after  shooting  his  brother  Mat ! 

But  now,  to  cut  a  long  story  short,  a  month  passed,  and  then 
was  no  return  of  the  "  model  citizen."  My  uncle  was  not  ij> 
the  slightest  degree  shaken  by  all  the  taunting  clamors  which 
now  rose  afresh  around  him.  He  had  still  a  thousand  or  two 
in  unbroken  credit  left,  and  continued  to  supply,  without  stint, 
the  necessities  of  the  wife  of  his  partner  and  her  large  family, 
with  quite  as  conscientious  scrupulousness  as  if  he  had  just 
received  from  him  a"  reiterated  injunction  to  that  effect  by  the 
last  mail,  accompanied  by  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
causes  of  delay. 

Though  months  and  months  still  passed,  and  no  such  word  of 
confirmation  or  consoling  came  from  his  partner,  and  the  sneering 
clamors  grew  more  and  more  obstreperous  about  his  ears,  he 
still  went  steadily  on  in  the  sublime  assurance  of  his  trust, 
and  ministered  equally  to  the  wants  of  his  partner's  helplest 

3* 


30 

family,  with  those  of  his  own,  out  of  what  remained  to  him  yet 
of  funds  and  credit. 

A  year  had  now  passed.  His  eastern  credit  was  gone  for 
ever.  My  uncle  was  a  hopeless  bankrupt !  Still  his  faith  would 
not  give  way,  though  his  buoyancy  in  some  measure  did.  He 
had  written  several  letters  to  John,  and  in  that  wild  country  they 
might  miscarry  !  he  would  certainly  either  answer  him  satis 
factorily  or  return  himself  soon.  Indeed  he  expected  him  every 
day,  and  should  not  be  surprised  any  minute  to  see  him  come 
in,  with  his  old  look  of  friendship,  bringing  in  his  hands  the 
means  of  retrieving  their  lost  credit.  In  the  meantime  he  would, 
so  long  as  a  cent  remained,  meet  the  expenses  of  his  family  as 
well  as  those  of  his  own  ! 

But  when  it  now  came  to  light  that  the  man  who  cultivated  the 
Homestead  Plantation,  as  it  had  been  thought  at  first,  merely  upon 
shares,  was  the  real  owner,  and  showed  the  evidences  that  he 
had  purchased  it  for  cash,  and  demanded  of  the  old  and  helpless 
wife  of  the  model  citizen  that  she  should  vacate  the  premises, 
then  a  full  realization  of  the  terrible  blow  came  to  my  uncle ! 
God  of  heaven  !  Betrayed  and  beggared  !  The  whole  crushing 
truth  came  down  upon  his  strong  and  manly  head,  like  an 
avalanche  of  sorrow,  and  he  never  lifted  his  bowed  neck  agaifc 

Had  the  fiendish  fratricide  turned  that  assassin  pistol  upon  his 
heart,  and  sent  a  ball  right  through  its  centre,  he  could  not  have 
cut  him  down  more  suddenly.  In  full  health  apparently  he 
walked  heavily  to  liis  house,  laid  himself  down  upon  his  bed,  and 
in  a  few  hours  he  was  found  to  be  dying  I 

What  an  awful  sight  was  that ;  a  strong  man  dying  of  a 
broken  heart !  Not  one  atom  of  his  round,  full,  powerful  frame 
had  been  wasted ;  his  flesh  was  firm,  and  the  veins  full  of  blood 
as  ever ;  his  face,  not  even  paled  by  the  present  sickness,  wore 
the  usual  ruddy  flush  of  perfect  health,  and  yet  to  see  him  lie 
there  gasping  for  breath  !  while  above  the  horrifying  stillness, 
that  fearful  stertorous  breathing  which  indicates  the  approach  of 
death,  grew  thicker  and  hoarser  with  each  moment,  and  the 
soft  pink  flush  of  life  faded  slowly  before  the  thick,  purplish  hue 
that  crept  surely  and  icily  up  from  the  deader  ed  extremities. 


31 

My  God  I  it  was  the  most  dreadful  sight  ever  witnessed  !  Not 
that  death  itself  is  so  appalling  ;  not  that  it  is  so  unusual  to  see 
men  who  appear  to  be  in  full  health  lie  down  and  die ;  but  that 
the  cause  seems  so  dreadful !  to  die  of  too  much  truth,  and 
faith,  and  honor  !  To  die  of  what  should  make  us  live  for 
ever!  It  seems  that  falsehood,  hate,  and  shame  should  kill 
men  ;  that  they  should  die  of  their  sins,  of  their  perversions,  and 
not  of  what  is  most  holy  and  harmonious  in  them  !  And  yet  it 
was  so  with  my  poor  uncle  ;  he  had  cast  everything  upon  one  die, 
and  it  had  turned  out  to  be  a  loaded  one  !  He  had  been  swindled 
out  of  all  that  was  dearest  to  him  in  life — his  good  name,  the 
means  of  supporting  his  family,  whom  he  proudly  loved  more 
than  life,  and  the  closest  friend  of  his  life  beyond  that  family. 
All  were  gone  !  The  sky  grew  black,  he  could  not  see  nor 
feel  the. sun,  his  will  and  his  strength  went  out  from  him  into 
"  the  void  of  midnight !"  He  had  no  wish  nor  power  to  live ;  his 
senses  were  benumbed  by  the  stunning  weight  that  had  fallen 
upon  him.  Since  the  fire  flew  from  his  eyes  beneath  the  shock 
no  more  light  had  come.  His  senses  would  not  go  out  to  things 
of  sense  again  !  He  was  weary,  and  could  not  get  up  ;  he  felt 
drawn  downwards  as  if  through  the  bed  and  through  the  floor 
towards  the  embrace  of  earth !  her  cold  bosom  would  be 
soothing  to  his  tired  and  fevered  limbs  !  Ah,  piteous  fate  !  The 
wife  of  his  youth,  whom  he  had  loved  with  such  a  steadfast 
love,  transfixed — those  fair  and  delicate  daughters,  the  spring 
flowers  rooted  in  the  deep  strong  soil  of  his  heart,  pale,  drooping 
with  the  weight  of  tears ;  that  noble  son,  with  his  proud  eagle- 
face  bent  low  in  stern  and  tearless  sorrow  ;  that  curly-headea 
artist-boy  that  sobs  out  wildly  ;  and  the  little  one  "that  wails,  it 
knows  not  why.  Sad  scene !  Shall  I  ever  forget  its  piteous 
and  mournful  details  ?  He  died  !  The  strong  man  died !  and 
we  who  loved  could  but  look  on  him  with  helpless  meanings. 

Oh,  the  curse  of  that  proud  and  stricken  widow,  when  poverty 
bore  hard  upon  her  helpless  self  and  delicately-nurtured  daugh 
ters  and  young  boys.  It  did  not  fall  scatheless  upon  the  hoary 
villain's  head  !  The  stern  and  bitter  curse  of  her  eldest-born 
followed  him  in  retribution,  though  he  could  never  follow  him 
in  person;  for  his  fierce  nature,  which  orly  "subscribed  to 


32 

tender  objects,"  was  moved  by  the  wail  of  the  helpless  to  stay  bjr 
•them  with  his  strength  until  they  grew  strong !  To  the  earth's 
end  he  would  have  followed  the  wretch  so  soon  as  he  dared  to 
leave  his  poor  mother;  he  had  sworn  it  in  the  depths  of  his 
heart  and  soul,  and  he  was  not  a  man  to  forget  friend  or  foe. 
But  the  just  God,  who  had  said  "vengeance  is  mine,"  vindicatec 
his  own  laws  before  this  time  came. 

The  facts,  as  they  afterwards  came  to  light,  are  about  these  , 
It  appears  that  Columbus,  or  Kit,  with  his  abject  cunning,  had 
at  once,  by  a  sympathetic  intuition,  detected  through  the  indif 
ferent  seeming  of  his  father  the  strong  awakening  of  avarice  in 
his  nature,  caused  by*the  golden  display  made  by  his  eldest  son 
Bill  P.  on  his  return  from  Texas.  Cunning  Kit  ministered  to 
this,  and  on  each  return  from  his  trading  expeditions  in  that 
direction  brought  back  stories  more  than  corifirmatory  of  what 
had  fallen  from  his  honester  brother  concerning  the  mineral 
wealth  of  this  new  country.  The  inordinate  lust,  for  gold  which 
had  for  so  many  years  been  partially  controlled  and  kept  in 
subjection  by  the  "  duties,  rules,  observances"  of  his  social 
position  now,  fostered  subtly,  broke  forth  like  a  deeply-smoul 
dered  fire,  to  flame  along  the  hell-charred  surface  of  passions 
that  seemed  to  have  long  ago  gone  out.  All  "  the  sacrednesses," 
beneath  the  sanctified  restraints  of  which  his  devilish  nature  had 
so  long  evidently  chafed  with  the  silent  endurance  of  great 
strength,  now  burnt  out,  like  tinder  before  the  lurid  flash  of  this 
infernal  fire.  His  mind  and  his  passions  glowed  at  once  with  the 
red,  baleful  heat !  He  was  unhumanized  in  such  a  hideous  way 
that  nothing  human  could  realize  him;  hence  the  impossibility 
for  his  friends  to  understand  his  motives.  They  could  not 
realize  that  he  now  •  deliberately  purposed  to  go  to  this  golden 
land,  with  all  the  wealth  he  could  carry  thither,  to  add  to  the 
countless  hoards  that  he  should'  be  thus  enabled  to  collect  there, 
that  might  build  him  a  shining  palace  to  his  god,  Momus,  and  all 
the  hideous,  unholy  passions  that  are  attendants  on  his  train,  with 
whom  the  fierce  decadence  of  his  life  might  be  subsided  in  the 
hot  and  horrid  orgies  of  unnatural  lust !  No ;  they  could  not 
realize  all  this  in  that  calm,  placid,  and  unhurried  bearing.  They 
could  not  realize  that  the  snow  upon  his  head  cooled  down  tha 


33 

crust  of  volcanic  brain,  while  .he  went  on  to  plot  the  defrauding 
of  one  brother's  orphan  in  his  charge,  by  sending  her  property 
out  of  the  country  under  false  pretences  ;  to  plot  the  murder  of 
another  brother,  because  he  was  directing  public  attention  to 
this  purpose,  and  do  that  murder  coolly  in  the  public  streets ;  to 
draw"  from  time  to  time  upon  the  capital  of  his  mercantile  house 
until  he  had  abstracted  every  cent,  not  only  of  his  own  share, 
but  as  well  that  of  his  nearest  and  dearest  friend — that  faithful 
partner,  who  had  stood  by  him  so  long  and  trustingly ;  to  desert 
the  wife  of  his  first  and  earliest  choice,  who  had  borne  him 
eighteen  children,  and  been  the  ever  loving,  patient,  wise,  and 
thrifty  helpmate  of  forty  years,  without  the  slightest  provision  for 
her  support  and  that  of  her -young  and  helpless  family;  and 
resist  appeal  after  appeal  that  reached  him,  either  to  send  for 
her,  or  release  her  and  his  young  children  from  a  dependence 
upon  the  cHarity  of  those  he  had 'most  deeply  wronged.  No,  I 
say,  they  could  not  realize  all  this,  but  yet  it  proved  to  be  so, 
every  word  of  it. 

Whether  the  monster  ever  realized  his  horrid  dreams  of  golden 
magnificence  in  any  degree  through  those  indefinite  and  impenetra 
ble  regions  said  to  be  gold  bearing,  or  otherwise,  I  am  not  fully 
prepared  to  say  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  he  possessed  and  settled  an 
immense  plantation  on  the  Brazos,  a  few  miles  back  from  Co 
lumbus  or  Brazoria,  where,  for  a  number  of  years,  he  realized 
all  that  his  devilish  avarice  would  demand  in  the  way  of  legiti 
mate  production  from  the  soil  in  cultivating  the  long,  fine  fibred, 
and  gigantic  cotton  of  that  region. 

When  the  Texas  revolution  came  on  he  consistently  acted  the 
traitor  to  save  his  ill-gotten  wealth,  and  was  treated  with  contempt 
by  the  stern  and  chivalric  men  who  really  led  that  movement. 
Houston  was  a  mere  man  of  straw,  as  he  has  been  throughout  his 
life ;  but  even  he  could  not  help  cursing  with  corn-whiskey 
pathos,  the  treacherous  planter  who  buried  his  weapons,  his 
available  property,  and  his  gold,  for  fear  they  should  be  used  by 
the  Texan  patriots  against  the  Mexican  power,  which  he  favored.' 
But,  the  struggle  past,  this  fact  was  not  forgotten,  though  passed 
.  over. 

The  Model  Citizen  now  went  on  for  several  years  rejoicing  in 


34 

his  strength,  and  swiftly  accumulating  riches,  when  there  came 
*o  be,  through  negotiation,  an  arrangement  between  the  sovereign 
State  of  Texas  and  the  confederated  Union,  by  which  such  debts 
incurred  before  running  away  to  Texas  from  the  States,  might  be 
collected  in  Texas,  on  proper  exchange  of  official  certifications. 
Now  came  the  time  of  vengeance.  To  escape  his  creditors  at 
the  East  and  in  Kentucky,  the  wary  villain  was  compelled  to 
make  over  all  his  property  to  his  precious  and  promising  son  Kit. 
The  creditors  were  defrauded,  but  the  pleasant  part  of  it  is,  that 
Kit  held  on  to  this  ",  conveyance  in  trust,"  and  chose  to  interpret 
it  literally,  and  the  result  was,  that  he  gradually  encroached  upon 
his  excellent  father  under  the  shield  of  this  conveyance  until  at 
last  he  turned  him  bowed,  broken,  and  sick  to  death  with  the 
protracted  struggle,  out  of  the  plantation  house  into  the  open  air, 
and  left  him  entirely  to  the  mercenary  sympathies  of  the  coarse  and 
lecherous  mulatto  slaves  who  had  formed  his  Harem  heretofore. 

They  took  him  to  a  distant  hovel  on  the  outskirts  of  the  planta 
tion,  and  there  they  so  tormented  him  with  the  hellish  provocations 
of  unnatural  lust,  that  to  this  day  it  remains  uncertain  whether 
they  starved  the  hideous  wretch  to  death,  or  wore  out  his  life  in 
monstrous  tortures ;  certain  it  is  that  when  they  came  back  to  the. 
worthy  son  with  the  news  of  his  father's  death  he  coolly  rewarded 
them,  and  when  I  visited  him  years  afterwards  these  slaves  still 
ranked  as  the  aristocratic  families  of  the  plantation  ! 

God  had  avenged  his  outraged  laws  ! — the  abused  and  ne 
glected  father — the  deserted  wife — the  beggared  orphan — the 
murdered  brother — the  ruined  and  broken-hearted  friend — all — 
all  had  been  avenged  !  and  his  own  son  too — the  low  and  sneak 
ing  villain,  had  been  the  instrument  of  retribution  !  How  sublime 
Jie  justice! — he  too  in  turn  is  made  to  realize  what  he  had 
.aught  his  own  hoary-headed  father. 

**  How  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth  it  is,  to  have  a  thankless  child." 

Ah,  what  a  horrid  death  it  was !  Starved  and  taunted  by 
the  brutal  creatures  of  his  own  senile  lusts  thus  turned  upon 
him  !  I  have  been  <  much  happier  since  I  heard  this  fearful 
story ;  it  has  strengthened  my  faith  in  God.  I  walk  the  earth 
with  a  calmer  feeling  of  confidence,  and  hope,  and  trust;  for 


now  I  know  that  even  here,  in  this  life,  he  will  not  permit  his 
laws  to  be  too  hideously  outraged  with  impunity.  And  now,  too, 
that  I  have  given  all  these  facts  to  the  public,  do  I  breathe  more 
freely ;  they  weighed  upon  me  like  a  guilty  conscience,  while  I 
remained  silent,  and  I  felt'  irresistibly  impelled,  even  at  the  risk 
of  being  charged  with  irrelevancy,  to  dedicate  these  monsten 
to  the  world's  scorn.  I  feel  better  now. 


80 


CHAPTER  VI. 

•    i 

AN     OLD     ACQUAINTANCE. 

IT  matters  not  to  explain  how  or  why,  when  I  reached  man- 
hood,  I  came  to  go  to  Texas.  If  the  general  cause  is  not  already 
sufficiently  explained,  it  is  very  certain  that  I  cannot  take  the  time 
now  to  do  it.  Suffice  it  that  I  did  go,  and  that  I  must  now  trans 
late  myself  to  the  Frontier  to  take  up  the  thread  of  my  narrative 
The  following  details,  written  at  another  period  of  my  life,  must 
come  in  to  fill  the  necessary  interval  between  what  is  now  writ 
ten  and  that  when  the  more  immediate  purpose  of  the  book  is 
resumed. 

Now  the  career  of  this  same  Bill  P.,  who  is  earliest  mentioned 
as  having  been  the  first  to  return  from  adventurings  in  Texas  to 
my  native  town,  and  my  own,  come  again  into  connexion  under 
very  different  circumstances.  I  was  alone  on  my  way  to  San 
.Antonio,  before  reaching  which,  some  eighteen  miles,  I  expected 
to  find  the  Rancho  of  this  man  now  promoted,  through  hard- 
earned  honors  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of  the  Texan  ^Revolution, 
to  a  colonelcy  by  Houston. 

Many  a  time  in  the  twilight  had  I  sat  upon  the  steps  of  his 
father's  mansion,  and  listened  in  breathless  ragerness  to  his 
curious  tales  ! — for  all  about  Gold  mines,  Mexicans,  and  Southern 
Indians  was,  as  we  have  said,  vague  to  us  then.  Much  of  our 
restless  passion  for  adventure  took  its  origin,  and  grew  into  our 
life,  under  the  stimuli  of  these  strange  stories  of  his.  Now  that 
I  found  myself,  after  infinite  vicissitudes,  approaching  the  house 
of  this  man  who  had  exerted  so  strong  an  influence  upon  my 
boyish  imagination,  I  unconsciously  began  recurring  to  the  child 


37  v  ** 

ish  conjurations  his  recitals  had  called  up.  What  fantastic  images 
were  they  which  then  sometimes  filled  my  heated  fancy,  of  a  coun 
try  where  such  scenes  could  occur — of  a  people  capable' of  deeds 
so  savage  as  he  described !  I  recalled  those  pictures  vividly 
enough  now,  for  here  was  the  reality  to  contrast  them  with.  The 
lights  and  shadows  were  strong  and  deep,  in  good  earnest,  which 
had  composed  them — and  it  was  amusing  to  compare  them  with 
the  truth  around  me.  Then  in  morbid  moods  I  had  before  me  a 
dim  twilight  region  of  prairies  waving  with  dark-colored  poison 
ous  flowers ;  rocks  that  glittered  with  veins  of  gold,  gaping  in 
ruvines ;  and  vast  arid  plains  piled  around  with  shaggy  hills,  with 
bronzed,  gaunt  figures,  bloody  and  fierce,  gliding  to  and  fro  ;  while 
the  red  gleam  of  fire  showed  now  and  then,  the  work  of  death  they 
revelled  in,  lighting  up  the  hideous,  grim,  and  grotesque  action  of 
their  ferocious  joy, :  and  now,  I  could  not  help  smiling,  as  I  lifted 
my  eyes  to  look  around  upon  as  beaming  and  cheerful  a  landscape 
as  ever  the  clear  sunlight  flooded. 

It  was  the  very  ideal  of  harmonious  repose — silence  audible  in 
beauty — where  all  the  pulsings  of  great  Nature  seemed  to  be 
chordant  with,  and  led  by  the  loud  throb  of  my  own  heart. 
Though  it  was  January,  the  scene  was  surprisingly  pleasant ; 
the  rolling  prairie  I  traversed  was  relieved  of  monotony  by  little 
islands,  or  motts,  as  they  are  called,  of  the  evergreen  live  oak, 
scattered  clustering  here  and  there.  The  grass,  though  slightly 
browned,  was  just  sufficiently  so  to  afford  a  sober  contrast  to  the 
intense  glistening  green  of  the  oak  leaves,  whose  tints  were 
heightened  by  the  silvery  frost-work  of  long  moss,  which  set 
them  off.  The  air  was  of  that  peculiar  transparency  Italy 
boasts,  and  seemed  to  be  light  itself,  not  a  medium— while 
through  it  the  herds  of  deer,  though  a  mile  off,  were  defined  with 
startling  minuteness,  even  to  the  detail  of  their  careless  repose, 
or  the  gestures  of  surprise  in  the  pricked  ear  and  quick  stamp  of 
a  fine  foot  upon  the  sod,  and  hasty  grouping,  as  the  stranger 
came  in  view.  The  tall  snowy  cranes  gesticulated,  with  lithe 
thin  necks,  their  wonder,  and  stalked  with  slow  stately  steps 
towards  each  other ;  seeming,  as  they  clustered  on  the  ridge  of 
the  prairie  undulations,  to  be  weaving  strange  figures  against  the 
iky,  with  their  restless  necks  crossing,  .as  they  ejaculated  their 

4 


38 

odd  solemn  croak.  The  sand-rats,  their  tails  stuck  straight  in 
the  air  with  fright,  shot  into  their  hurrows,  and  then  turned 
round,  poking  their  striped  noses  out  to  peep.  The  little  grass- 
sparrow  flitted  with  a  sharp  chirp  before  me,  while  the  sagacious 
hawk,  which  had  been  floating  over  head  all  the  morning, 
watching  till  I  should  frighten  up  these  little  gentry,  would  dip, 
with  a  quick  sough  of  wings,  at  the  doubly-frighted  wretch,  which 
would  drop  like  a  stone  in  the  long  grass.  This  calm  life — it 
was  delicious ! 

The  many  pleasant  sights  and  pleasant  sounds— the  bright  and 
gay  repose  of  being — they  sank  into  and  pervaded  my  whole 
life  with  an  exquisite  sense  of  joy  and  peace.  Nature's  God,  in 
this  most  glorious  woof 

"  Of  the  garment  that  we  know  him  by," 
stood  revealed  in  everything, 

— — — "  From  the  small  breath 
Of  all  new  buds  unfolding — from  the  meaning 
Of  Jove's  large  eyebrow,  to  the  tender  greening 
Of  April  meadows," — 

here  was  a  holy  revelation  that  filled  me  with  love  and 
worship. 

I  could  not  realize  that  this  soft  picture  had  ever  been,  or 
could  ever  be,  defaced  by  those  harsh  discords  the  fatal  spirit  of 
humanity  carries  with  it  always.  But  a  little  time  was  to  illus 
trate  to  my  experience  that,  indeed,  "  we  know  not  what  a  day 
may  bring  forth" — that  even  in  this  wide  merry  sunshine,  in 
these  cool  delightful  shadows,  Death  and  Fear  could  show  their 
ghastly  faces — that,  "  alternating  Elysian  brightness  with  deep 
and  dreadful  night,"  life  everywhere,  in  cities  and  on  plains, 
whirls  on  the  same. 

This  man,  whose  house  I  was  approaching,  was  to  exhibit  to 
me  a  new  phase  of  character.  Nurtured  in  civilization,  he  had 
abjured  the  brotherhood  of  community  as  tame  and  sickly, 
wedding  himself,  body  and  scul,  to  ferocious  strife.  So  strangely 
had  the  unnatural  circumstances  of  his  position  operated  upon  his 
temper,  that  life  itself  was  no  longer  a  pleasant  consciousness  to 


Him,  without  the  eternal  necessity  of  struggling  with  death  in  a 
hundred  forms,  and  the  half  savage  exultation  of  the  thought 
that  he  purchased  from  hour  to  hour,  his  right  to  live,  with  his 
own  prompt  heart  and  steady  arm.  I  myself  "had  begun  to  feel 
something  of  that  haughty  swelling  of  the  veins — that  answering 
of  the  heart,  in  hot  flushings  to  the  brow — which  familiarity  with 
danger,  and  the  necessity  of  self-reliance  produces  ;  and  I  felt  a 
sort  of  yearning  to  trace  in  this  man,  whom  I  remembered  with 
the  freshness  of  my  own  present  age  upon  him,  the  stern  lines  of 
these  new  feelings,  legitimately  hardened  and  deepened  by  the 
habit  of  many  years. 

The  faint  trail  I  had  been  following  now  brought  me  suddenly 
upon  rather  a  fine  scene — a  "  bottom  prairie,"  as  it  is  termed, 
sloped  from  the  last  undulation  of  the  upland  on  which  I  stood 
down  to  the  banks  of  the  San  Antonio  river.  The  mesquit-grass, 
covering  this  basin,  was  a  fresher  green  than  the  upland  grass ; 
while  the  mesquit-timber,  a  gnarled  and  scrubby  growth,  differed 
much  from  the  grand  live  oak,  and  was  destitute  of  moss.  Facing 
me,  and  on  the  immediate  bank  of  the  river,  were  three  stockade- 
houses,  or  lesser  "  ranches." 

I  rode  up  to  the  middle  one,  conscious  that  there  was  something 
about  it,  I  could  not  tell  what,  that  attracted  me  as  bearing  a  more 
American  air.  I  was  not  disappointed  ;  a  white  man  came  to  the 
door.  It  could  be  no  one  but  Col.  P. ;  but  little  altered.  As  I 
climbed  the  five  or  six  blocks  which  served  for  mounting  the 
picket,  and  advanced  to  his  door,  I  had  time  for  a  good  look,  and  to 
recall  the  past.  He  was  the  same  thick-set,  uncouthly-gaited, 
burly-looking  monster;  the  great  brush  of  fiery  hair  standing  out 
•'  horrent"  above  a  face,  the  skin  of  which  seemed  now  to  be  one 
entire  dark/reckle,  except  where  the  paler  seam  of  that  large  scar 
marked  it  across  the  cheek.  His  eye,  a  whity-grey,  was  cordial 
enough  in  its  expression,  and  so  was  the  bear-squeeze  of  his  huge 
hand;  but  there  was  a  peculiarity  about  his  lips  I  instantly 
remembered — they  were  so  stiff  and  double  as  to  render  it  impos 
sible  for  him  to  smile  easily,  and  the  abortive  grin  he  got  up  con 
veyed  no  expression  of  pleasantness,  but  only  reminded  me  of  a 
mastiff  over  a  bone. 

Since   my   boyhood  I  have  the  same  instinctive  aversion   to 


40 

men  who  laugh  in  pain — from  whom  joy  comes  forth  in  travail. 
That  had  been  one  cause  of  my  hatred  to  him  then.  There 
was  no  time  for  analysing  instincts ;  for,  as  soon  as  I  made 
myself  known,  the  colonel  dragged  me  into  the  house,  pouring 
out  a  string  of  his  sort  of  welcomes — exclamations  of  surprise, 
and  questions; — "What -the  devil  brought  you  all  the  way  out 
here  by  yourself?  You've  chawed  the  apron-string  like  a  wolf's 
cub,  I  see,  and  cut !  I  thought,  my  youngster,  when  you  used 
to  sit  with  your  chops  stretched,  listening  to  me  that  time  I  went 
in  to  the  States,  talk  about  Gold  mines  and  Indians,  you 
meant  to  give  the  old  ones  trouble  some  day !  Didn't  come 
all  the  way  by  yourself  ?  "  looking  fixedly  at  me.  "  Didn't 
you  see  the  Comanches  ?  wan't  you  scared  some  ?  Rubbed 
off  the  gooseberry  by  this  time  !  done  chawing  salad,  aint  you  ? 
But  what  brought  you  here  ?  cut  a  stick,  eh !  left  in  a  jiffy  ?" 

"  No,  no !"  said  I ;  "  old  fellow,  stop !  and  I'll  tell  you.  It 
was  that  same  love  of  deviltry  and  dislike  of  the  babyisms  of  home 
which  made  you  leave  it,  that  has  sent  me  here  now !  I  came 
to  see  some  fun !  I  am  tired  of  the  tame  way  they  live  in 
Kentucky  ?" 

"  Like  you  all  the  better !  Fudge  !  who'd  live  on  pap  always  ? 
Give  you  man's  meat  here  :  rough  country,  rough  doings,  but  it 
doe?  make  men  !  We  live,  sure  enough,  here  !  No  sickening 
squirts  can  come  it  out  here  !  Lord  !  what  would  a  spindle-legged, 
strapped  thing,  coateed  and  cloth'd,  do  here,  where  we  have  a 
skrimmage  every  week  ?  First  Mexicans,  then  Indians,  come  on. 
Brush  the  Yellow-Bellies.  Then  the  Copperheads  come  sneaking 
down.  They  kill  my  horses,  the  villains !  kill  my  hogs.  Just 
about  rows  enough  going  on  to  keep  a  man's  blood  up,  and  prac 
tice  plumb.  Get  the  green  out  of  your  eye  as  quick  as  you  can, 
and  I'll  make  a  good  shot  of  you.  We  call  it  good  shooting 
when  they  don't  kick !  Did  a  sweet  thing  the  other  day,  over 
yonder  by  some  deep  gullies.  v  Had  missed  a  hog  every  week  or 
8O— suspected  some  of  those  straggling-  thieves  of  Mexicans.  Was 
sitting  at  the  door  one  evening,  fixin'  up  '  sixshooter,'  and  I  saw 
a  streak  of  smoke  over  there  among  the  trees.  Thinks  I,  maybe 
that's  another  hog.  So  I  travelled  over  there,  Indian  fashion; 
and  there  they  were— two  ragged  Yellow-Bellies — happy  as 


41 

while  they  cut  up  my  white  sow.  Their  fire  was  right  on  the 
edge  of  the  gully,  and  they  looked  like  two  monkeys  in  a 
tickling  match,  they  were  so  happy.  Thinks  I,  mighty  plea 
sant  surprise  I'll  give"  you.  Bang  !  One  tumbled  over  stiff— for 
I  hit  the  back  of  his  head ;  and  the  other — I  think  I  laughed 
out  loud,  it  was  done  so  quick  !  Did  you  ever  see  a  turtle  slide 
off  a  slick  rock  where  he  had  been  sunning  ?  or  a  spring-frog 
take  the-mud  ?  I  tell  you  it  was  nothing  to  the  way  that  Mexican 
flirted  himself  off  the  bank  into  the  gully.  It  beat  all  the  quick 
fingering  I  ever  saw.  By  the  time  I  got  there  he  was  out  of  sight, 
for  these  gullies  are  fifty  feet  deep,  some  of  'em,  and  very  twisti- 
fying.  I  took  the  flint  and  steel  out  of  the  dead  one's  pocket — they 
never  have  anything  else  worth  taking — kicked  out  the  chunks, 
and  took  up  my  hog,  and  left  him  there  for  the  wolves." 

So  he  rattled  on,  stringing  incident  upon  incident  of  his  wild 
life  with  a  ferocious  sort  of  gusto,  that — full  of  the  spirit  of  such 
scenes  as  I  imagined  I  was— I  could  not  help  acknowledging  to 
myself  a  sort  of  cold  revulsion  creeping  upon  me — a  chill  shud 
der,  as  I  recognised  in  his  rattling,  rambling  talk,  the  character 
of  incidents  which  were  to  make  up  the  ideal  of  "  fun"  I  had 
foolishly  risked  so  much  to  realize.  There  was  brutality  rather 
than  the  expected  romance  in  it  all. 

But  as  dinner  now  made  its  appearance,  I  had  no  leisure  for 
further  cogitation.  I  had  made  the  plunge,  and  "  sink  or  swim, 
live  or  die,"  came  back  to  me  from  school-boy  days.  Our  fron 
tier  meal  of  beef,  sauced  with  appetite  and  the  "  grease"  of  fried 
pork,  and  seasoned  to  scalding  heat  with  "  chile,"  with  milk  to 
neutralize  its  blistering,  effects  upon  our  throats,  and  thin  Mexican 
cakes,  called  "  tortillias,"  was  brought  in  by  the  colonel's  Mexi 
can  "  woman."  She  was  liisjiflh — for  he  only  kept  them  so  long 
as  it  suited  his  most  autocratic  pleasure — and  was  rather  pretty, 
with  Indian  features,  olive  complexion,  and  coarse  black  hair ;  her 
large  black  eye  wearing  that  bright  animal  flash  upon  the  iris 
peculiar  to  the  lower  orders  of  Southern  women.  She  seemed 
very  good-natured  and  humble,  and  obeyed  her  despot  as  though 
she  were  a  part  of  the  "  joints  and  motives"  of  his  body,  and 
equally  subject  to  his  will. 

Two  Peons — the   lowest  grade  of  Mexican   population,  and 


42 

slaves  to  the  right  of  life  and  limb — made  up  what  remained  of 
the  household,  except  an  old  crone,  mother  of  the  "  woman," 
whom  I  had  scarcely  noticed,  crouched  with  those  same  animal 
eyes,  undimmed,  gleaming  from  a  dark  corner  of  the  room. 
They  all  waited  at  a  respectful  distance  until  we  got  through ; 
and  straightway,  before  we  were  fairly  seated  in  the  other  room 
— I  on  a  buffalo  robe,  the  colonel  on  a  stool—the  tongues  of  the 
quartette  were  suddenly  loosed  in  a  torrent  of  gibberish  ;  the  key- 
note  carried  in  a  loud,  insolent  tone  by  one  of  the  Peons,  a  little, 
shrivelled,  sharp-faced  knave,  whom  I  had  noticed  with  difficulty 
restraining  himself  in  our  presence. 

The  colonel  told  me  the  fellow  was  "  bragging."  "  He's  the 
greatest  coward  that  ever  bent  grass,"  said  he  ;  "  but  he  can  brag 
the  knot  off  a  musquit  limb,  and  that's  tough  a  little  !  But  it's 
the  way  with  all  the  '  Yellow-Bellies  ;'  they  beat  the  world  brag 
ging,  and  let  their  women  whip  'em." 

We  took  a  look  at  the  premises.  They  were  surrounded  by 
a  high  picket-fence  of  mesquit  logs,  set  on  end  as  close  as  the 
timber  would  permit — including  a  cow-pen — and  all  about  two 
acres.  The  house,  a  long  square,  built  as  the  fence,  except  a 
plaster  of  moss  and  mud  filling  the  interstices,  and  a  covering  of 
bulrushes.  The  colonel  said  his  was  like  all  the  other  small  ran- 
chos  of  the  country — of  which  there  were  two  in  view,  above  and 
below  us  ;  one  inhabited  by  a  common  "  ranchero,"  with  his  forty 
or  fifty  hangers-on,  the  other  by  a  young  American  renegade, 
who,  though  he  had  once  been  respectable,  the  colonel  thought  had 
disgraced  himself,  as  he  indignantly  expressed  it,  "  by  marrying 
a  dirty  drab  of  a  Mexican  woman.  Marry  'em,  indeed !  To 
disgrace  the  name  of  Texan,  and  his  family,  by  marrying  the 
sluts !" 

"  Good,"  said  I,  "  Colonel ;  the  holy  Catholic  Church  had 
nothing  to  do  in  banns  and  fees  between  you  and  your  five 
women,  I  suppose  ?"  "  Church,  indeed  !  I  trouble  the  pudding- 
paunched  priests  occasioh-ally  for  a  little  '  black  mail,'  when  they 
happen  to  trouble  me  by  putting  themselves  across  my  way, 
but  never  about  women."  "  Frontier  morals,  Colonel  ? " 
"  Yes  !"  (with  one  of  those  stiff  grins),  "  l  we  do  as  we  daie* 
here,  and  six-shooter  is  my  license,  certificate,  aid  deed."  1 


43 

learned  further,  ijiat  about  a  mile  and  a  half  up  the  rivei 
on  the  other  sile,  was  the  Rancho  of  Madame  Cavillo,  on  a 
much  grander  scale  than  these.  "  She  is  the  most  perfect  old 
she-devil,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  that  ever  you  heard  of.  There 
isn't  a  man  or  woman  old  enough  in  the  whole  country  to  more 
than  guess  at  her  age.  She  locks  like  an  apple  left  on  the  tree 
all  winter,  in  the  face  ;  but  I  tell  you,  the  Mexicans  fear  her 
worse  than  they  do  the  priests.  She's  got  the  fire  of  seven 
thunder-snags  in  her  yet — isn't  afraid  of  anything  but  priests,  and 
is  very  rich.  She  has  seven  thousand  head  of  cattle  and  horses 
— nobody  can  tell  how  much  land — or  how  many  silver  mines 
she  owns,  though  she  doesn't  work  them  much  ;  and  she  has 
near  five  hundred  Peons  about  her,  too.  She  hates  me,  and  is 
afraid  of  me.  She's  gone  now  to  confessional  across  the  Rio 
Grrande — she  does  this  once  a  year  to  wash  the  blood  off.  She 
takes  two  or  three  hundred  men  for  a  guard.  I  think  she  will 
be  back  in  a  day  or  two,  and  she  will  give  a  grand  Fandango — 
always  does  this  when  she  returns.  I  shall  have  fun,  if  this 
cursed  nephew  of  her's,  Agatone,  doesn't  return." 

His  expression  of  gossiping  good-humor  changed  to  one  of  sin 
gular  ferocity  as  he  mentioned  that  name.  Suspecting  some 
thing  in  the  wind,  I  inquired  further.  "  Who  is  this  Agatone  ?" 
"  He  commands  a  band  of  fifty  or  sixty  cut-throats,  who  are 
always  stealing  and  murdering  from  here  to  the  Rio  Grande. 
The  little  shrivelled  villain  !  (from  between  his  set  teeth)  I  owe 
him  a  few  good  turns.  He  has  been  trying  a  long  time  to  as 
sassinate  me — ha  !  ha !  ha  !"  And  he  doubled  himself  down  in 
a  sort  of  spasm  in  bringing  forth  this  rasping  laugh.  "  Ha  !  ha ! 
ha !  it  would  have  done  yer  stomach  good  to  see  me  pick  one 
of  his  men  off  that  bluff!"  pointing  as  he  spoke  to  the  steep  bluff 
bank  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

"  It  was  a  good  shot !  I  was  standing  somewhere  about  here  : 
you  see  the  villains  swam  over  during  the  night,  and  lay  upon 
their  bellies  behind  the  low  thorn  bushes  you  see. there  at  the 
bottom  of  the  yard,  waiting  until  I  should  come  out  in  the 
morning.  It  happened  I  went  to  a  fandango  that  night  and 
danced  until  nearly  day ;  so  as  I  did  not  make  my  appearance, 
about  ten  o'clock  they  began  to  think  I  was  not  at  home,  and 


44 

concluded  to  leave ;  just  as  they  were  jumping  in  to  swim,  my 
woman  came  to  the  door  and  saw  them — she  came  yelling  in  to 
me.  I  had  just  awoke — sprang  out  with  sixshooter  in  my  hand 
— by  the  time  I  got  here,  one  of  them  had  reached  the  top,  saw 
me  and  dodged.  The  other  was  scrambling  in  a  hurry,  catching, 
as  he  climbed,  at  the  vines  that  hung  over  the  bluff's  edge — I  let 
drive  at  him !  ha!  ha!  it  was  beautiful  to  see  him — first  spring  up- 
then  let  go — and  kicking  against  the  bluff  leap  right  off  in  the 
air.  Lord  !  what  a  yell  he  gave — and  such  a  pretty  face  he 
made,  I  see  it  now  turned  towards  me  wrinkled  with  fright  and 
hate  as  he  went  down  into  the  water !  Ooh !"  sucking  in  his 
breath,  "  it  was  delicious !  if  it  only  had  been  Agatone,  I  should 
have  fainted !"  slapping  me  with  a  heavy  hand,  in  his  ecstasy, 
upon  the  shoulder — "  My  boy,  ain't  such  things  worth  living 
for?  ha!" 

I  can't  say  my  assent  to  the  Colonel's  idea  of  the  "  greatest 
happiness  principle,"  was  quite  so  much  from  the  heart  as  he 
could  have  desired,  but  he  pleased  me  ;  the  excitement  of  loathing 
while  I  studied  such  a  monster,  from  the  very  novelty  of  the 
thing,  had  a  strange  charm  for  me.  This  soul-moving  relish  of 
his  in  talking  of  death — this  dwelling  with  fond  appetite  upon  the 
revolting  detail  of  cold  murders,  filled  me  with  something  like 
that  restless  half-pleasant  awe,  the  ghost- stories,  the  "  raw-head- 
and- bloody-bones  "  of  winter-night  legends,  used  to  bring  to  my 
childhood. 

It  was  perfectly  new  to  me  and  astonishing,  and  I  determined 
to  study  this  man,  and  see  more  of  the  circumstances  which  could 
have  so  ossinVJ  his  nature.  After  supper,  he  recurred  for  the 
first  time  to  old  associations  and  mutual  friends. 

Here  I  was  again  stumped,  for  my  reading  and  experience 
heretofore  had  taught  me,  and  I  certainly  expected  to  find 
no  exception  in  this  case — that  no  man,  however  monstrous  the 
development  of  his  passions,  however  hardened  and  distorted5 
would  be  found  insensible  to  the  gentle  memories  of  innocence, 
and  childhood,  and  early  love  ;  that  these-  ever  loved,  fresh  and 
gentle  wooers,  these  spring  airs  of  the  desert  past  would  always 
find  in  the  scathed  soil  some  germ  with  life  enough  to  wake  in 
bloom. 


45 

I  had  always  clung  by  this,  for  it  is  a  ppetty  and  hopeful 
sentiment ;  but  in  this  man  I  could  see  not  the  slightest  emotion, 
while  I  eagerly  tried  to  call  'it  out,  in  dwelling  upon  homestead 
scenes — on  a  mother,  sisters,  faithful  friends — aye  !  even  the  old 
love — and  there  I  hoped  I  saw  some  lighting  up,  but  it  was  faint : 
the  same  coarse,  careless  tone  being  resumed,  in  an  instant,  aftel 
a  slight  quaver  of  what  might  have  been  called  tenderness. 

Had  there  been  any.  necessity  for  the  man's  acting  a  part  with 
me,  I  should  not  have  been  surprised  at  this  insensibility,  but 
there  was  not  the  slightest ;  he  never  dreamed  of  "  acting5'"  in  his 
life — he  was  too  stolid  and  coarse  for  that,  and  indeed  evidently 
wearying  of  the  subject,  he  turned  off  and  brought  out  the  darling 
of  his  heart,  "  six-shooter,"  and  then  all  his  soul  came  into  his 
manner  at  once,  as  he  dilated  upon  her  merits — the  wonderful 
feats  accomplished  by  her  in  his  hands  and  those  of  others. 

Soon  after,  in  spite  of  all  the  novelty  and  excitement  of  the 
circumstances  I  found  myself  surrounded  by,  I  was  coiled  upon 
my  buffalo-robe  and  sound  asleep. 

The  next  day  a  jfbung  Texan  whom  I  had  known  in  the  settle 
ments  came  out  to  join  us.  He  had  waited  in  Bexar  to  hear 
some  positive  news  of  a  negro  boy,  to  recover  whom  as  a  runa 
way  from  the  plantation  on  the  Brazos,  he  had  come  out  to  Bexar. 
The  boy  had  been  taken  in  that  neighborhood,  and  made  his 
escape  in  a  very  daring  manner.  Some  Mexican  traders  came 
in,  who  reported  him  safe  enough  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rio 
Grande.  The  Texan  had  never  seen  a  Comanche  fight,  though 
familiar  enough  with  fights  of  every  other  character.  He  looked 
forward  to  one  as  to  the  pleasant  realization  of  a  long-anticipated 
joy,  and  even  the  savor  of  the  smoking  dinner  the  "  woman"  had 
prepared,  seemed  only  to  share  his  attention  while  he  eagerly  ques 
tioned  the  Colonel  as  to  the  probability  of  seeing  one.  "  Oh  !"  said 
he, "  you  need  not  be  in  a  fidget,  for  if  you  stay  here  many  days,  1 
promise  you  shall  have  enough  to  stay  your  stomach."  During 
the  evening  the  by-play  of  several  characteristic  and  amusing 
adventures  occurred,  but  we  mtist  defer  them  to  the  more 
important  action  of  our  narrative. 

The  next  morning,  while  we  were  discussing  breakfast,  Antone 


46 

came  rushing  in,  his  copper  face  a  creamy  white  from  fear, 
screaming,  "  Los  Indios !  Los  Indios !"  The  Colonel  turned 
over  the  board  table  as  he  sprang  for  "  six-shooter,'7  leading  the 
way  for  the  stiles.  There  was  a  long  train  of  cavalry  in  sightj 
with  banners  flying,  very  slowly  descending  into  our  little 
"bottom  prairie." 

The  moment  the  Colonel  saw  them,  without  saying  a  word,  he 
turned  and  launched  a  furious  kick  at  the  ill-starred  Antone, 
which  sent  him  a  somerset  off  the  blocks.  "  What's  the  matter, 
Colonel  ?"  "  The  cowardly  blackguard,"  growled  he,  "  to  come 
bleatkig  '  Los  Indios !'  and  getting  a  man's  stomach  up  for  a 
fight,  when  it's  nobody  but  Madame  Cavillo  and  her  curs,  whom 
one  has  no  fair  excuse  for  sh,ooting  at !  Faugh  !  I  shan't  be  able 
to  finish  my  breakfast.  The  white-livered  calf!"  I  had  felt  my 
heart  jump  to  my  throat  at  the  sight  of  the  troop,  for  my  eye  was 
not  yet  sufficiently  trained  in  making. those  prompt  distinctions 
frontier  life  render  necessary,  or,  in  the  Colonel's  words,  "  the 
green  was  not  out  of  it  yet,"  for  I  certainly  thought  they  were 
Comanches,  and  had  begun  to  experience  that  all-overish  sort  of 
sensation — that  curious  mixture  of  choking  eagerness,  curiosity, 
and  half-conscious  dread  which  the  near  approach  of  certain  battle 
brings  to  every  one  ;  and  the  truth  is,  if  it  must  be  confessed,  a 
very  considerable  feeling  of  relief  as  of  oppression  taken  from  my 
lungs,  when  I  heard  the  Colonel's  explanation. 

The  Texan,  though,  whose  associations  had  given  something 
of  a  braggadocio  tone  to  his  character,  delighted  the  Colonel  by 
chiming  in  with  his  abuse  of  the  unfortunate  Peon,  and  making 
boisterous  demonstrations  of  a  disposition  to  wreak  his  disappoint 
ment  too,  after  the  same  fashion,  upon  the  wretch's  already  black 
and  blue  body  ;  but  he  suddenly  recovered  his  nimbleness,  and 
took  himself  off,  grumbling  that.  "  Los  Indios  "  might  cut  all  their 
throats  next  time,  and  he'd  neither  give  the  alarm,  nor,  what 
was  still  more  dire,  bring  his  puissant  arm  to  their  defence. 
•«  Garracho !" 

The  troop  passed  near  enough  for  us  to  see  the  old  dame  herself 
indistinctly.  She  was  a  squatty  figure — seemed  very  old — and 
Was  borne  in  a  sort  of  litter,  carried  by  four  horsemen,  whc 


47 

appear  sd  most  obsequiously  careful  not  to  jostle  her  dangerous 
repose.  Her  followers  were  most  of  them  dressed  in  white  cotton 
pants — the  full  sailor  fashion  ;  and  wore  no  coats — the  "  serape," 
or  blanket-cloak,  of  varied  and  gaudy  colors,  answering,  as  it 
always  does,  in  place  of  that  garment.  They  carried  long,  rusty 
muskets  on  their  shoulders,  and  wore  their  cast-iron  "  Toledo  " 
under  the  left  thigh,  next  the  saddle — "  a  curious  place  to  wear 
the  sword,  by-the-by,"  said  I  to  the  Colonel.  "  Oh,"  he 
answered,  "  it's  well  enough  to  keep  such  a  miserable  frog-sticker 
where  it  can't  be  got  at ;  bad  as  it  is,  they  might  be  expected  to 
use  it  sometimes,  if  they  wore  it  any  other  way.  The  only  use 
they  ever  make  of  their  long  swords  is  to  cut  up  game — this  they 
do  with  amazing  dexterity.  If  you  first  kill  a  bear  or  deer,  a 
Mexican  will  unhinge  it  for  you  so  quick  with  that  awkward 
hackle,  you  can  hardly  realize  that  it  is  done." 

There  were  a  few  dirty  streamers  bearing  Romish  devices, 
flaunting  in  the  breeze  above  the  old  woman.  They  had  now 
reached  the  Mexican  rancho  above  us,  and  halted  for  an  instant 
opposite,  to  return  salutes.  It  had  not  pleased  her  despotic 
humor  to  do  us  that  honor,  for  which  there  was  at  least  one 
very  good  reason — that  we  had  not  made  the  overture.  For 
between  her  and  the  Colonel  there  was  that  smothered,  snarling 
civility,  that  you  see  between  two  great  bull-dogs,  who  having 
been  compelled  to  meet,  after  a  deliberate  survey  of  each  other's 
proportions,  come  to  the  conclusion  that  nothing  is  to  be  gained 
by  a  fight,  and  merely  uncover  their  teeth  to  show  they  are  not 
afraid,  and  pass  on,  looking  back  and  growling  louder  as  they  get 
more  space  between  them. 

But  they  made  up  for  our  silence  at  the  other  rancho.  The 
shouts  of  men,  women,  children,  and  barking  of  "  mongrel  whelps 
of  low  degree  " — and  every  other  degree,  indeed — joined  with 
the  cracking  and  squibbing  of  bad  powder  and  worse  guns,  made 
up  the  sort  of  "jubilee  of  discord"  the  Mexicans  delight  in,  as 
the  expression  both  of  joy  and  grief.  And,  of  a  truth,  it  would 
have  been  hard  to  tell  which  was  meant  to  be  exhibited  in  this 
case ;  for  it  's  very  certain  they  would  have  made  the  same 
demonstration,  had  it  been  the  scalp  of  the  old  Senora  the  cavalcade 


48 

were  bringing  home.  The  only  question  is,  whether  the  rejoicing 
of  their  gratified  hate  would  have  been  more  sincere  in  that  case, 
than  the  rejoicing  of  their  stomachs  now  in  anticipation  of  the 
expected  feast  and  "  fandango,"  which  was  to  celebrate  her 
arrival. 

This  idea  served  to  bring  to  the  Colonel  some  consolation  for 
his  bitter  disappointment  in  a  "  Fi^ht."  "  We  shall  have  it  about 
three  nights  from  this,"  said  he,  "  und  such  a  feast  of  chickerones, 
coffee-drinking,  and  general-up-side-down,  and  *  turn  your  part 
ners'  of  a  cavaulting  match  you  never  heard  of,  as  it  will  be." 
"  Good  as  grass-burrs,"  said  the  Texan,  "  I'm  there."  "  But 
what  do  you  mean  by  a  '  feast  of  chickerones,'  and  by  'grass- 
burrs  ?'"  said  I. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !"  laughed  the  Colonel,  "  you're  a  perfect  pea-vine 
yet — you're  so  tender  and  green  !  Poor  fellow!  don't  know  what 
a  chickerone-feast  is  ?  Better  not  go  to  buffalo  range  yet — 
couldn't  make  the  old  bulls  believe  there  was  any  harm  in  you ; 
they'd  all  take  after  you  to  get  a  juicy  bite ;  you'd  be  eaten  up 
— lock,  stock,  and  barrel !  Why,  man,  chickerones  are  crack 
lings,  and  are  one  of  the  greatest  delicacies  the  Mexicans  know! 
When  they  kill  a  hog,  they  cut  him  up  in  small  pieces;  boil 
diem  for  the  lard  until  they  are  crisp ;  then  strain  and  let  'em 
e;et  cold,  and  they  wouldn't  give  a  handful  of  them  for  all  the 
figur-eed  sweetnin*  doings  they  have  at  a  ball  in  New  Orleans. 
The  old  woman  always  has  'em  by  tubfulls  at  her  Fandangos ; 
and  a  Mexican  with  a  fist  full  of  these,  a  tin  cup  full  of  coffee, 
and  a  *  tortillia,' is  too  happy  to  brag  even;  and  as  for- grass- 
burrs — if  you  hadn't  on  them  thick  boots,  you'd  have  learnt 
what  they  were  quick  enough  in  this  '  bottom.'  I  think  them 
boots  are  spoiling  you — they're  interfering  with  your  education  ; 
you'd  better  give  'em  to  me.  Come,  off  with  'em,  my  boy ;  you're 
from  old  Kentuck  ;  I  feel  an  interest  in  having  you  learn  fast ; 
moccasins  are  good  enough  to  commence  life  with.  You'll 
have  to  feel  your  way  then,  and  you'll  be  sure  to  know  it  next 
time." 

1  had  noticed  the  Colonel  casting  longing  eyes  upon  my  stout 
double-soled  waterproofs,  and  concluded  it  would  be  just  as  well 
to  propitiate  him  by  making  a  surrender  at  once ;  so  I  told  him 


43 

he  should  have  them  so  soon  as  he  would  procure  me  a  stout  pair 
of  moccasins.  And  off  he  went  to  get  them,  forgetting  he  had 
not  told  me  what  grass-burrs  were ;  but  I  soon  learnt,  to  my 
heart's  content. 


50 


CHAPTER  VII. 


FEELING"  THE  WAT 


THE  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  stretched  upon  my  buffalo- 
robe,  on  the  floor,  I  was  indulging  in  a  pleasant  dreamy  sort  of 
snooze',  half  asleep  and  half  awake,  conscious,  to  some  degree,  of 
what  was  going  on  about  me — for  I  heard  the  Texan  and  the 
Colonel  get  up  and  go  out,  and  the  Mexicans  were  sauntering 
about  the  room.  But  yet  I  had  not  opened  my  eyes  ;  for  delight 
ful  images  were  glancing  to  and  fro  inside  the  lids — home,  and 
pleasant  faces  of  those  I  loved — and,  somehow  or  other,  I  knew 
if  I  opened  them  all  these  must  disappear,  and  disagreeable 
realities  would  take  their  places.  But,  gramercy !  I  opened  them 
quick  enough  as  the  Colonel  came  bouncing  into  the  house 
followed  by  the  Texan,  and  the  Mexican  women  screamed  that 
infernal  cry  of"  Los  Indies  !" 

I  turned  over  lazily  on  my  couch,  and  asked,  in  a  care-less 
tone— for  I  was  anxious  not  to  appear  green — "  Another  of 
Antone's  alarms,  I  suppose,  Colonel  ?"  "  No  !  by  blood  !  boy,  it's 
in  earnest  this  time  !"  dragging  down  "  six-shooter."  "  Up  with 
you,  if  you  want  to  save  ^our  ^orse  and  see  the  fun  !"  There 
was  a  savage  glee  in  the  ma~  s  face  as  he  said  this,  which 
convinced  me  there  was  something  to  pay  this  time ;  and  as  he 
and  the  Texan  rushed  out,  I  sprang  to  my  feet. 

"  My  gun  !  where  is  it  ?"  just  occurred  to  me—"  that  cursed 
Antone !"  I  bolted  out  of  the  front  door ;  he  was  climbing  the 
steps,  with  my  gun  in  his  hand  ;  two  or  three  long  strides,  I  had 
reached  them  ;  I  mounted ;  there  he  was  below  me,  the  gun  to 
his  face,  aimed  towards  the  zenith.  He  fired  away — "  Garracho ! 


51 

Los  Indies  !  Garra — "  I  broke  into  his  expletives  just  there,  as  h« 
was  in  the  act  of  firing  the  other  barrel,  with  a  blow  on  the  side 
of  his  head  that  sent  him  reeling.  Jerking  my  gun  from  hia 
hands,  I  started  at  full  speed  after  the  Colonel  and  the  Texan, 
who  had  a  hundred  yafds  the  start  of  me. 

The  morning  was  misty,  and,  about  four  or  five  hundred  yards 
sff,  I  could  see,  indistinctly,  men  on  horseback,  galloping  to  and 
fro.  This  was  the  enemy,  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  whom 
the  stupid  wretch  of  a  Peon  had  wasted  one  of  my  precious  loads 
at — or,  rather,  at  the  place  where  the  moon  might  have  been. 
Behind  me  were  the  dismal  yells  of  the  Mexican  women  and 
men ;  before  me  the  terrible  war-whoop  of  the  Comanches— a 
most  uncouth  and  indescribable  sound.  The  mist  brooded  very 
low,  and  1  could  only  distinguish  ahead,  as  I  strained  every  nerve 
to  catch  up  with  my  friends,  a  hurrying  crowd  of  horses  without 
riders,  and  mules  and  horses,  with  riders — dark,  half-naked  men, 
with  long  lances,  plunging  here  and  there — all  "  confusion  worse 
confounded,"  into  a  whirling,  rushing  mass. 

The  Colonel  and  Texan  stopped,  side  by  side,  about  three 
hundred  yards  from  our  starting  point ;  and,  as  I  joined  them 
almost  at  the  same  instant,  I  saw  there  was  an  excellently  good 
reason  for  it  A  party  of  eight  Comanehe  warriors  had  suddenly 
wheeled  from  out  this  chaos  I  have  described,  and,  with  a  simul 
taneous  burst  of  that  infernal  whoop,  came  thundering  on  at  full 
speed,  as  if  they  intended  to  ride  us  down. 

"  Steady,  boys  !"  said  the  Colonel ;  "  wait  till  they  get  in  about 
thirty  paces,  and  then  choose  your  man !"  On  they  came  ;  they 
were  tall,  lean,  sinewy  men,  with  dark  bronzed  skins — naked, 
except  the  breech-clout  and  a  cape  of  buffalo-robe  over  the 
shoulders ;  their  long  hair,  done  into  plats  with  a  bunch  of  rich 
feathers  tied  to  them,  was  streaming  on  the  air  behind — while  the 
chief,  who  led,  was  distinguished  by  his  crown  of  eagle  feathers, 
and  an  appendage,  some  two  yards  in  length,  of  gaudy  colored 
feathers,  sailing  out  from  its  rear.  They  rode  as  if  they  and  their 
pied  and  beautiful  horses  were  one — some  of  them  with  their 
long  lances  in  rest,  just  as  the  "  Peers  of  Charlemagne"  must  have 
carried  them — others  clashing  them  against  their  broad  white  oval 
shields  of  buffalo  hide,  folded  many  times — holding  their  bowi 


52 

strung  in  the  same  hand — while  the  feathered  tips  of  the  full  quivef 
showed  above  the  left  shoulder.  Howling  yet  more  terribly 
they  were  nearly  within  the  thirty  paces — still  the  same  headlong 
gait. 

Our  little  platoon  was  levelled — quicker  than  thought  they 
wheeled — -we  fired — down  went  the  horse  of  the  chief  upon  his 
knees — a  clear  cavaulet  into  the  air,  that  mighty  personage 
was  thrown,  his  eagle-feathered  crown  sailing  one  way,  he 
another.  But  he  lit  upon  his  feet,  and,  with  inconceivable  agility, 
sprang  upon  his  horse  again  and  followed  his  retreating  warriors. 
I  was  nearest  to  him,  and  rushed  at  him  ;  but  he  was  too  nimble 
for  me.  I  might  have  shot  him — but,  fury  !  that  contemptible 
coward !  my  other  load  was  gone.  I  had  no  time,  however,  for 
regrets.  A  fter  galloping  back  a  short  distance — stooping  at  the 
same  time  behind  the  bodies  of  their  horses,  to  avoid  our  shot — 
they  charged  in  the  same  way  again,  and  were  received  by  the 
Colonel  and  Texan  with  another  broadside.  I  was  loading  my 
gun  as  fast  as  possible — I  had  snatched  up  the  powder-horn  as  I 
ran  out  of  the  house,  not  seeing  the  shot-bag,  which  I  discovered 
round  the  waist  of  the  beastly  Peon,  and  had  not  time  to  dis 
engage  it. 

The  Texan,  like  myself,  in  the  flurry  had  secured  only  part  of 
his  ammunition,  which  was  fortunately  the  shot-bag  ;  so  we  made 
a  hasty  exchange.  I  poured  the  shot  down  without  measuring  ; 
now  for  a. cap;  I  felt  for  my  pocket  where  they  were  usually 
carried — Oh,  curses  !  I  discovered  for  the  first  time  that  I  had  on 
nothing  but  my  drawers  and  shirt,  and  was  in  my  bare  feet  to 
boot !  Pleasant  predicament  this — three  hundred  yards  from  the 
house — no  caps  to  fire  with,  and  those  infernal  devils  determined 
to  have  our  scalps.  "  Texas,  have  you  got  any  caps  ?"  "  No, 
d— n  it!  Yes,  here's  one,"  taking  it  from  his  pocket.  I 
snatched  it  eagerly,  and  was  just  in  time,  for  the  Comanches — 
by  this  time  reduced  to  six,  as  two  of  them,  evidently  severely 
hurt,  were  supporting  each  other  off  the  field — came  rushing  upon 
is  again  with  louder  whoops  and  greater  confidence  than  ever  ; 
for  they  were  accustomed  to  the  double-barrel  guns,  and  thought 
they  were  sure  of  us  now,  as  our  charges  were  out. 

So  on  they  came  this  time  within  about   wenty  paces,  turning 


One  fierce  tawny  rascal  was  standing  erect  in  his  stirrup,  as  he  came  on,  in  the 
very  act  of  launching  his  spear  at  him,  when  the  cool  veteran  deliberately  drew  a 
\>ead  upon  him,  and  fired.— PAGE  53. 


53 

loose  their  arrows  at  us,  one  of  which  I  felt  slide  through  the 
muscles  of  my  arm,  and  a  sharp  imprecation  from  the  Texan  told 
that  he  too  had  been  pricked.  The  Colonel  stood  unmoved, 
reminding  me  of  FitzJames : 

"  This  rock  shall  fly 
From  its  firm  base  as  soon  as  I !" 

One  fierce  tawny  rascal  was  standing  erect  in  his  stirrup,  as 
he  came  on,  in  the  very  act  of  launching  his  spear  at  him,  when 
the  cool  veteran  deliberately  drew  a  bead  upon  him,  and 
fired.  The  warrior  reeled — it  struck  him  on  the  naked  ribs, 
and  I  saw  the  big  red  stream  bubble  out  as  he  wheeled,  and., 
galloping  back  some  fifty  paces,  pitched  head-foremost  from  his 
horse. 

"  That  fellow's  got  it,  anyhow  !  See,  his  lance  did  not  reach 
me  T"  said  the  Colonel,  between  a  shout  and  a  laugh.  There 
was  the  lance,  sure  enough,  still  quivering,  a  few  paces  in  front 
of  him.  But  it  was  no  laughing  matter  to  the  Texan  and  myself, 
for,  after  a  great  deal  of  swearing,  he  had  finally  convinced  him- 
self  that  he  had  given  me  the  only  cap  he  had.  He,  too,  had  left 
his !  A  pretty  scrape  our  hurry  had  got  us  into  :  loads  in  our 
guns,  and  no  caps  to  fire  them  with ! 

A  reinforcement  from  the  main  body  had  met  the  retreating 
Comanches.  The  one  who  had  fallen  had  turned  himself  upon 
his  back,  and  holding  up  his  arms,  a  mounted  warrior  galloping 
on  each  side  of  him  had  seized  them,  and  they  were  dragging 
him  between  them  towards  the  main  body,  who  were  still  bent  on 
herding  together,  and  driving  off  our  horses  and  mules. 

These  two  parties  had  been  sent  with  the  charitable  design  of 
taking  our  scalps  while  we  were  robbed  of  our  horses.  Embold 
ened  by  the  reinforcement,  in  an  inconceivably  short  time  they 
were  charging  upon  us  again,  with  still  greater  fury  from  the 
sight  of  their  wounded  braves,  several  of  whom  were  still  in  the 
party,  as  I  could  tell  from  the  blood  smeared  upon  their  limbs. 

It  was  an  awful  moment,  as  that  grim,  hideous  crowd  came 
rushing  on  to  overwhelm  us.  inevitably,  as  it  seemed  to  me. 
What  could  we  do  ?  The  Texan  and  myself  were  "  hors  dii 
combat."  The  Colonel  had  only  two  more  loads  !  We  clubbed 

5* 


54 

our  guns  in  desperation.  The  Colonel  coolly  stepped  out  in  front 
of  us.  He  did  not  let  them  get  so  close  this  time.  He  fired. 
They  all  stopped  short.  The  foremost  man,  with  a  quick  move 
ment,  dropped  his  bow  and  clapped  his  hand  upon  his  side,  the 
other  hand  pointing  with  his  lance  at  the  Colonel ;  he  looked  back, 
speaking  very  loudly  and  rapidly  to  his  friends.  The  Colonel  fired 
his  last  and  sixth  shot,  without  taking  his  gun  from  his  face.  A 
warrior  sprang  up,  convulsively,  from  his  saddle.  The  whole 
party,  shaking  their  lances  in  the  air,  with  the  most  unearthly 
yell  it  was  ever  my  fortune  to  hear,  scattered  as  if  a  grenade 
had  exploded  among  them.  Throwing  their  weapons  from  them, 
and  bending  low  over  their  horses'  necks,  they  plied  heels  and 
arms,  urging  them  on  with  frantic  energy — and,  as  far  as  I  could 
heaf,  their  hoarse  voices  were  repeating  the  same  word  (a  strange 
sound,  of  which  I  can  give  no  idea  in  our  letters),  which  the 
Colonel  said  meant  "  The  Conjurer." 

"  Hurrah  for  *  six-shooter,'  "  said  the  Colonel,  patting  the  piece 
affectionately  ;  "  Howel's  game  over  again  ;  she  saved  our  scalps, 
certain !"  and  running  eagerly  to  the  Comanche,  who  had  fallen 
from  his  horse,  and  was  feebly  endeavoring  to  drag  himself  erect 
again  by  the  help  of  a  stout  shrub,  he  drew  his  knife,  and  throw, 
ing  himself  upon  the  bleeding  wretch,  planted  some  half-dozen 
stabs  in  his  body,  and  then,  as  if  the  blood  upon  his  hand  had 
entirely  maddened  him — forgetting  he  had  no  other  load  in  his 
gun — he  set  off  at  a  tremendous  rate,  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating 
Indians. 

This  was  downright  lunacy.  He  shouted  to  us  to  come  on,  but 
I  answered,  "  In  the  name  of  common  sense,  what  good  can  we 
do,  but  lose  our  scalps  if  they  should  turn  at  bay  ?  we've  got 
nothing  to  shoot  with — we  are  throwing  away  our  lives  stupidly  ! 
Let's  go  back  and  get  our  caps,  and  you  your  other  cylinder,  and 
then  follow  them." 

I  had  as  well  undertaken  to  remonstrate  with  a  starved  tiger, 
that  had  taken  one  lap  of  warm  blood.  He  kept  on  at  the  top  of 
his  speed,  shaking  the  bloody  knife  over  his  head,  and  hoarsely 
shouting,  "  Come  on  if  you  are  not  a  coward  !"  Had  I  been  a 
little  older,  I  should  not  have  regarded  this  taunt ;  but  as  it  was, 
it  stung  me  to  the  quick  ;  and  though,  at  every  step,  the  grass- 


55 

burrs  I  was  to  "  learn  about  in  this  bottom'*  were  touching  me  to 
the  quick  too,  through  the  bare  soles  of  my  feet,  I  kept  shouting 
on  after  this  roused  and  frantic  wild  beast  of  a  man. 

In  this  silly  race,  we  had  soon  left  the  house  half  a  mile  in  the 
rear,  and  nothing  but  the  desperate  fright  of  the  Indians,  at  the 
conjuration  of  shooting  six  times,  saved  us  from  being  slaughtered 
like  three  blind  brutes.  When  we  mounted  to  the  upland  prairie, 
we  paused.  Crazy  as  the  Colonel  was,  he  perceived  the  enemy 
were  out  of  our  reach.  A  half-mile  off,  on  an  opposite  ridge,  we  saw 
the  main  body  had  halted.  They  were  very  coolly  transferring 
their  saddles  from  their  own  horses  to  our  fine  "  American"  ani 
mals,  while  the  party  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  attack  upon 
us  were  still  going  at  full  speed,  in  every  direction,  over  the  wide 
plain. 

The  party  on  the  hill  seemed,  from  their  gestures,  to  be  very 
much  astonished  at  this  manoeuvre ;  and  after  taking  a  long  look 
at  their  flying  comrades,  sprang  upon  their  horses,  and  urging 
their  ill-gotten  booty  into  a  run,  were  soon  out  of  sight  behind  the 
ridge. 

I  had  thrown  myself  upon  the  grass,  utterly  exhausted,  so  soon 
as  I  had  joined  the  Colonel,  and  an  examination  of  my  poor  feet 
proved  to  me  most  conclusively,  that  what  he  had  said  about  my 
never  forgetting  my  way  when  I  had  once  felt  it,  was  most  true  ; 
for  never  shall  I  forget  that  race,  and  those  grass-burrs.  They 
are  vile  triangular  seeds  of  the  grass,  hard  as  pebbles  ;  each  of 
the  corners  armed  with  a  keen  thorn.  The  ground  is  thickly 
strewn  with  them,  and  at  every  step  I  had  taken,  a  half-dozen  Oi 
so  had  been  imbedded  in  my  skin,  "  like  quills  upon  the  fretful 
porcupine,"  on  a  small  scale  at  least ;  they  showed  their  serried 
heads,  thick  as  they  could  stand,  all  over  the  cushions  of  my 
heels  and  toes,  and  such  blistering  torture  as  it  cost  me,  is  incon 
ceivable. 

The  Colonel  was  coughing  violently,  bringing  up  large  clots  of 
blood.  I  thought  at  first  he  had  ruptured  an  important  blood 
vessel,  and  was  half  inclined,  in  my  spleen,  to  be  rejoiced  at  it, 
since  his  stupid  ferocity  had  brought  about  all  this  torture  of  mine 
—for  it  was  as  bad  as  walking  over  coals,  and  I  shrank  as  from 
a  hot  ordeal  from  the  idea  of  walking  back  to  the  house — and  had 


56 

almost  endangered  his  own  life  by  his  mole-eyed  and  headlong 
fury.  I  was  more  than  half  consoled  as  I  saw  him  spitting  the 
red  foam  from  his  lips.  But  this  was  nothing  to  the  real  peri  he 
had  exposed  all  our  lives  to.  I  felt  no  sort  of  pity  fc  r  him  as  I 
saw  him  sink  pale  and  frightened  on  the  grass — for  this  fierce 
animal,  though  while  the  glow  was  on  him  he  was  a  very  fiend 
in  battle,  yet  shrank  with  deeper  appalment  from  death  in  any 
other  form,  than  even  timid  men  would  have  done. 

The  Texan  was  blowing  like  a  porpoise — swearing  now  at  his 
own  carelessness  and  mine  in  forgetting  the  caps  and  spoiling  his 
fun ;  and  then,  grinding  his  teeth,  and  stamping  about  in  impotent 
rage,  as  he  saw  a  tall  warrior  mounted  upon  his  horse,  and  dash 
ing  him  to  and  fro  on  the  ridge,  seemingly  for  our  benefit,  and  to 
try  his  gait.  I  thought  he  would  go  into  a  fit.  As  the  Indian 
galloped  off,  he  shook  his  clenched  fist,  and  howled  imprecations 
and  threats  after  him. 

The  Colonel  recovered  his  spirits  as  the  blood  ceased  to  rise, 
and  springing  to  his  feet  as  the  pleasant  conviction  came  to  his 
relief,  that  he  was  not  born  to  die  so  unmartial  a  death,  insisted 
that  we  should  return  instantly  and  try  if  we  couldn't  raise  horses 
at  the  Mexican  Ranchos  above  us,  to  pursue  the  Indians.  "  They 
have  carried  off  all  that  were  loose  on  the  prairie,"  said  he,  "  but 
the  Mexicans  generally  keep  their  best  riding  horses  inside  the 
picketing,  and  we  were  fools  for  not  keeping  ours  there  !" 

I  saw  the  torturing  walk  was  not  to  be  avoided  by  simply 
dreading  it,  so  I  girded  up  my  loins  and  off  we  started — the 
Colonel  rallying  us  all  the  way  most  unmercifully  for  our  ridicu 
lous  verdancy,  in  coming  off  without  our  ammunition.  Had  there 
been  any  buoyancy  left  in  me,  I  might  have  retorted  emphatically 
the  charge  of  verdancy  upon  his  preposterous  helter-skelter 
sally  ; — but  my  poor,  suffering  feet,  now  that  a  revulsion  of  ex- 
citement  had  come  on,  engrossed  all  my  attention. 

Just  think  of  walking  a  half-mile  with  naked  feet  over  pin 
points,  and  you  may  form  some  faint  idea  of  how  entire  the  ab 
straction  and  pre-occupation  of  my  wits  must  have  been — though, 
strictly  speaking,  not  gone  "  a  wool  gathering,"  it  was  much  more 
sprightly  employment,  that — marking  the  sharp  pang  as  each 
particular  thorn  pierced  to  the  quick. 


57 

Adam,  in  his  fig-leaved  innocence,  making  his  first  experimenta. 
acquaintance  with  a  "  Hornpipe,"  in  a  casual  introduction  to  a 
u  Yellow-jacket's  nest,"  could  have  made  no  more  vivid  display 
of  "  gymnastics''*  on  the  "  light  fantastic  toe,"  than  I  did  through 
that  weary  distance.  Now,  I  would  select  a  thick,  cool,  green- 
looking  tuft  of  grass.-  Ah  !  that  will  b6  a  pleasant  cushion  for 
my  burning  soles  !  and  the  spring  I  would  make  to  reach  it  would 
only  drive  the  prickles  in  deeper.  Now  the  tumulus  above  the 
burrow  of  a  sand-rat  promised  at  least  to  be  crumbling  and  soft. 
That's  the  bright  thought !  They  won't  at  least  go  so  deep.  So  with 
a  hop,  skip,  and  jump,  my  feet  would  sink  in  two  or  three  little 
pyramids — fire  and  stings  !  worse  than  ever  ;  over  my  instep  up 
to  my  ancles,  all  the  most  delicate  parts  of  the  skin  were  pierced 
by  multiplied  red-hot  points — wheugh  !  I  fairly  gasped  as  I 
brushed  the  big  drops  from  my  face  !  Is  there  no  alleviation  ? 

"  Ah,  those  bare  patches  of  sand  that  shimmer  so  merrily  in 
the  sun  !  There  can't  be  any  harm  in  them — they  look  so  smooth 
and  nice.  The  fairies,  "  Bonny  little  Folk,"  they  swept  them  clean 
to  be  for  stepping-stones  across  this  gulf  of  "  Needles,"  to  such 
beguiled  unfortunates  as  myself — bless  the  kind  "  wee  people" 
from  my  heart !  Another  jump  ;  curse  the  "  Uncannie  Fiends !" 
these  infernal  triangles  were  the  sole  invention  of  your  ingenious 
malice  !  You  hid  the  points  there  thick  as  the  grains  of  sand  to 
tempt  me  to  my  torture  !  I  almost  fancied  I  could  hear  the  little 
villains  clap  their  hands  and  shout  in  mocking  glee  !  Oh,  despe 
ration  !  Setting  my  teeth  with  a  surly  grit  of  defiance  at  my 
imaginary  tormentors,  off  I  set  at  the  top  of  my  bent,  regardless 
of  everything  but  getting  to  the  Ranch — not  even  stopping  to  de 
cide  whether  the  coarse  neigh  of  laughter  which  followed  me  was 
an  ebullition  from  the  "  Uncannie  Fiends,"  or  the  Colonel  and 
Texan ! 


58 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE    ENEMY     OVERTAKEN 

THIS  was  by  no  means  the  last  of  my  experiei  oe  in  "  grass 
burrs" — nor,  indeed,  was  I  free  from  it  for  weeks  afterwards. 
When  I  arrived  at  the  house  I  found  it  all  deserted.  The 
Mexican  women,  half  frightened  to  death,  had  run  down  the  back 
way  to  the  river,  and  plunging  in,  swum  across,  led  by  valorous 
Antone,  and  all  had  scampered  off  to  Madame  Cavillo's  Rancho. 

When  my  two  friends  arrived  they  went  to  work  forthwith  to 
melting  lead  in  an  old  iron  spoon  to  mould  bullets,  while  I,  seated 
on  a  buffalo-rug,  was  digging  away  with  a  long  needle  to  grub 
out  some  few  at  least  of  the  most  troublesome  thorns  from  my 
feet,  when  a  loud  shout  from  the  other  side  of  the  picket  brought 
us  all  to  the  door. 

The  first  object  that  met  my  view  was  the  long  sharp  nose 
and  shrivelled  face  of  Sir  Braggadocio  Antone.  The  rascal  was 
brandishing  a  rusty  musket  over  his  head,  and  pointing  it  in  the 
direction  the  Indians  had  retreated,  was  rattling  away  a  torrent 
of  bloody  threats  and  dire  imprecations.  What  could  it  mean  ? 
He  must  have  somebody  to  back  him !  and  stepping  out  to  mourn 
the  blocks,  from  which  he  nimbly  retreated  as  he  caught  my 
angry  eye,  we  saw  his  heroic  talk  was  backed  sure  enough  by 
about  twenty  Mexicans,  pretty  well  mounted,  and  armed,  as  usual, 
with  nondescript  utensils  that  might  have  served  to  generate  the 
mould  in  some  "  Old  Curiosity  Shop,"  of  specimens  of  the  pro- 
gress  of  firearms  since  their  invention. 

As  the  enemy  were  by  this  time  several  miles  off,  they  looked 
amazingly  fierce — twirling  their  moustaches  and  slapping  their 


59 

thighs  with  prodigious  emphasis — every  man,  as  soon  as  we 
came  in  view,  setting  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  in  an  indepen. 
dent  recitative  of  his  individual  claims  to  the  character  of  a 
ferocious  warrior,  backing  them  with  multiplied  instances  on  this, 
that,  and  the  other  battle-field  in  which  he  had  proven  it  to  all 
the  world  by  the  most  unheard-of  deeds  of  valor. 

But  they  were  all  obliged  to  succumb  to  Antone.  He  was  in 
ais  glory— his  loud,  shrill,  cracked  voice  gradually  rose  to  the 
undisputed  ascendant,  the  din  and  gabble  around  him  subsiding 
into  a  breathless  and  open-mouthed  attention,  as,  leaping  into 
his  saddle  and  spurring  his  horse  into  the  execution  of  sun 
dry  lofty  curvets  in  front  of  the  valiant  band,  he  launched  into 
such  an  eloquent  and  voluble  expatiation  upon  his  own  deeds  of 
frantic  heroism — his  voice  strained  almost  into  a  screech,  one 
hand  still  whirling  his  musket  over  his  head,  and  the  other,  when 
he  could  spare  it  from  his  bridle,  sawing  the  air  with  such  furious 
illustrative  emphasis,  that  his  peers  were  fairly  overawed,  and 
listened  in  respectful  silence,  their  eyes  dilated  and  mouths  gap 
ing  in  wonder  at  his  terrific  deeds  and  threats  ! 

We  three  stood  gazing  at  him  for  a  moment  in  silence,  which 
was  broken  by  a  shouting  effort  at  a  laugh  from  the  Colonel,  in 
which  we  both  joined  most  heartily.  The  knave  slunk  back  for 
a  little  time  at  this,  while  we  jumped  down  among  them  and 
were  instantly  absorbed,  every  man  for  himself,  in  eagerly  plead 
ing  and  threatening,  and  offering  bribes  the  most  extravagant  to 
these  warriors,  to  be  permitted  a  participation  with  them,  through 
their  horses,  in  the  promised  glories  of  the  fight.  But  "  nada  !" 
"  no,  hai !"  no  !  no !  no  !  they  were  too  greedy  of  glory  to  share 
it !  too  jealous  of  the  honor  of  their  fathers  to  permit  the  white 
man  to  dim  the  escutcheon  they  inherited  by  participation  in  dan 
gers,  they  as  guardians  of  the  frontier  were  called  upon  to  meet. 
Here  Antone  interposed  again — 

"  Can  we  not  ourselves  exterminate  the  whole  nation  of  Co- 
manches  ?  What  do  we  want  with  your  help  ?  What  will  this 
insignificant  band  be  in  our  hands  ?  We'll  sweep  them  down 
like  a  great  wind  !  You  stay  at  home  !  I'll  bring  you  back 
your  horses !  I'll  bring  you  back  a  dozen  scalps  that  I  will  take 
with  my  single  ar  " 


60 

Here  his  oration  was  cut  short  by  a  heavy  polt  dealt  him  from 
the  rear  by  the  Texan,  which  nearly  sent  him  from  his  saddle. 
He  very  suddenly  placed  thirty  paces  between  himself  and  an 
other  such  disagreeable  parenthesis,  and  standing  erect  in  his 
stirrups,  without  fear  of  interruption,  kept  on  in  a  still  loudei 
voice. 

The  Texan  was  foaming — he  offered  them  twenty  times  tho 
value  of  their  horses.  "  Nada  !"  "  111  give  it  to  you  then  to 
take  me  up  behind  !"  No  answer.  "  Curse  you  yellow-bellied 
villains,  Pve  a  great  notion  to  shoot  you  from  your  saddles  and 
take  your  horses  anyhow  !" 

This  threat  he  looked  so  capable  of  putting  into  execution,  that 
these  doughty  champions  of  the  glory  of  the  Montezumas  thought 
it  best  to  get  out  of  his  way,  and  as  the  Indians  were  no  doubt 
by  this  time  too  far  off  to  be  caught,  there  was  less  danger 
in  that  direction.  Off  they  hurried,  leaving  us  in  no  enviable 
mood. 

The  Texan  was  about  to  fire  his  gun  after  them,  but  I  knocked 
it  up.  He  and  the  Colonel  then  started  in  a  long  trot,  determined 
to  be  in  at  the  fight  at  any  rate.  These  two  wild  beasts  seemed 
to  have  no  sort  of  idea  what  common  sense  or  common  prudence 
meant  ;  the  scent  of  blood  was  on  the  winds,  and  that  was 
enough  for  them  ;  and  like  any  other  fierce  brutes,  they  obeyed 
the  instincts  of  their  training  and  followed  it  in  rabid  fury.  In 
spite  of  the  ridiculous  experience  of  our  late  chase  they  were 
now  on  one  still  more  preposterous.  The  Comanches  at  the  very 
least  were  six  miles  off,  and  yet  they  expected  to  keep  up  with 
mounted  men  going  at  full  speed,  and  they  on  foot.  "  Rouse 
the  Hyrcanian  tiger  in  his  lair," 

Shake  her  week-old  whelps 
Kicking  and  mewing  by  the  placid  nose 
Of  a  Nemaean  lioness  sleeping, 

if  you  like  the  sport  and  want  to  see  a  reasoning  animal 
"  splurge  "  in  comparative  safety ;  but  I  advise  you  by  all  means 
to  stand  aside  when  a  strong  human  specimen  of  the  cat  tribe, 
used  to  blood-lapping,  has  once  dabbled  his  chops  in  it  fairly. 
T  lese  animals  are  not  brave,  but  simply  ferocious.  Like  a  bull 


61 

with  a  red  cloth  shaken  at  him,  foaming  and  blind  they  plunge 
straight  ahead,  be  it  over  a  hundred-feet  precipice  into  a  quagmire, 
or  what  not,  it  is  all  the  same  ;  there  is  but  one  idea,  one  hand  at  a 
time.  "  I  smell  the  blood  of  an"  Indian  or  Mexican,  that's  enough. 
And  I  am  compelled  to  acknowledge  that  although  I  felt  to  the 
utmost  how  silly  this  was,  I  could  not  divest  myself,  in  addition 
to  the  fear  of  being  taunted  with  cowardice,  of  a  feeling  of  ad 
miration  for  this  sort  of  unreckoning,  headlong  passion.  It  was 
imposing  to  my  unsophisticated  appreciation.  What  is  more,  the 
chivalry  of  companionship  in  danger  most  imperiously  demands 
of  one — to  stand  by  your  comrade  through  thick  and  thin,  right 
or  wrong,  and  do  your  reasoning  afterwards  about  the  prudence 
or  imprudence  of  the  steps  which  led  to  the  scrape — first  see  him 
through  it,  then  you  may  abuse  him. 

This  was  my  logic  as  I  pulled  on  a  pair  of  boots,  and  in  spite 
of  the  torture  set  off  at  the  best  speed  I  could  make  after  my 
friends.  I  found  some  eight  or  ten  Mexicans  who  had  lost  their 
horses,  straggling  along  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  their  wake,  and 
finding  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  catch  up  with  them,  I  called 
these  fellows  around  me  and  endeavored  to  keep  them  in  a  body 
to  make  a  show  at  least,  for  I  did  not  expect  them  to  fight,  of 
course.  I  was  passing  over  the  same  ground  on  which  a  few  days 
before  I  had  felt  my  heart  overflow  to  the  good  God,  as  I  looked 
out  on  the  smiling  beauty  of  the  scenes  his  beneficent  care  had 
framed  in  calmest  harmonies  to  move  the  souls  of  men  to  peace 
ful  joy,  and  hope,  and  adoration.  Now,  what  a  contrast  ! 
Bloody  passions  were  careering  on  the  chase  of  death  !  Deeds 
of  savagery  had  been  and  were  being  enacted,  making  hideous  a 
silence,  the  repose  of  power  and  love  ! — the  presumptuous  work 
of  that,  same  wrathful,  sacrilegious  spirit,  which  in  the  Titan 
Allegory  dared,  of  old,  to 

"pluck 

The  misty  crests  of  mountains  by  the  hair, 
In  battle  with  the  gods  :" 

and  here  I  was — the  identical  sentimentalizer  of  that  poetic  hour 
—dragging  my  "  weary  length  along,"  so  far  as  I  could  judge, 
about  in  the  stupid  innocence  of  a  calf  led  to  slaughter.  The 

6 


62 

scene  was  the  most  preposterously  serio-comic  that  ever  I  wit 
nessed. 

As  we  approached  a  clump  of  timber,  after  about  an  hour's 
walk,  who  should  break  suddenly  upon  our  astonished  view  but 
puissant  Antone,  tearing  towards  us  as  if  he  and  his  horse  were 
stark  mad  with  fright  !  We  heard  his  voice  long  enough  before 
he  reached  us.  The  slave  was  so  terribly  alarmed  that  we 
could  scarcely  understand  a  word  he  said — his  enunciation  was 
paralysed  with  fear ;  and  the  "  valiant  Mars  "  of  a  little  while 
back — -now  with  his  teeth  chattering,  and  eyes  almost  bursting 
from  their  sockets,  looking  back  over  his  shoulders  as  if  all  the 
"  grizzly  troop  of  Acheron  "  were  in  pursuit  of  him — was  the 
most  lamentable  image  of  panic  that  can  be  conceived.  We 
gathered  from  him,  at  last,  that  the  Mexicans  had  caught  up  with  the 
Comanches  much  sooner  than  tbey  expected,  no  doubt ;  that  they 
had  slaughtered  and  scalped  every  mother's  son  of  them,  except 
himself ;  and  that  he,  after  holding  the  whole  troop  at  bay  for 
"  Holy  Virgin  knows  how  long,"  had  at  last  condescended  to 
retreat  and  bring  back  the  news. 

Although  I  felt  confident  he  was  lying  monstrously,  I  was  no 
little  alarmed.  Making  all  due  deductions,  I  supposed  the  vain- 
glorious  fools  had  come  upon  the  Comanches  suddenly,  too  close 
for  a  back  out,  and  they  had  given  them  a  tremendous  drubbing, 
scattering  them,  and  probably  killing  the  greater  part ;  for  I 
knew  perfectly  well  when  they  started,  that  they  neither  could 
nor  would  fight,  and  that  this  would  be  the  result  if  they  chanced 
to  stumble  upon  the  Indians. 

The  Colonel  and  Texan  were  both  out  of  sight.  Antone  had 
seen  nothing  of  them — had  no  doubt  they  too  were  scalped  ;  for 
the  Indians  were  in  hot  pursuit,  and  "  nothing  but  the  lightning 
speed  of  his  horse  had  saved  him !"  The  best  proof  that  there 
was  some  reality  in  the  fellow's  alarm,  was,  that  no  persuasion 
could  induce  him  to  stay  with  us  another  instant,  but  preferring 
even  to  risk  the  ride  alone  back  to  the  Rancho  he  kept  on  at  the 
same  rate. 

Now  I  felt,  most  painfully,  how  unutterably  stupid  our  whole 
day's  management  had  been.  Had  we  stopped  to  reason  an  in- 
slant  we  might  have  foreseen  this  result  to  a  certainty.  But  now 


68 

this  miserable,  headlong  flurry  had  scattered  those  of  us  who 
could  fight  miles  apart,  over  a  wide  prairie,  to  be  cut  to  pieces  in 
detail  by  the  Indians  pursuing  the  Mexicans  back ;  and,  what 
was  still  more,  almost  the  whole  population  of  the  three  Ranchos 
were  scattered  along  for  a  mile  out  in  the  direction  we  came,  in 
the  eager  and  foolish  hope  to  be  the  first  to  greet  the  conquering 
warriors  returning. 

It  would  be  glorious  sport  for  the  Comanches  to  pick  up  these 
stragglers  with  their  long  lances  as  a  farmer  tosses  turnips  with 
a  pitchfork.  And,  besides,  what  was  I  to  do  myself?  The 
miserable  beings  with  me  were  only  in  the  way,  and  would  at 
tract,  by  their  numbers,  the  attention  of  the  Indians,  when  one 
might  stand  a  chance  of  escaping.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  I 
could  keep  them  from  starting  helter-skelter  over  the  plain  after 
Antone.  I  resolved  at  once  that  they  should  stay  with  me,  for 
their  running  could  avail  nothing  to  themselves,  as  the  Indian? 
would  catch  them,  of  course,  before  they  could  get  back  to  the 
Rancho.  Determined  to  make  the  best  of  circumstances,  I  drew 
them  after  me  into  the  timber,  made  them  throw  themselves  flat 
upon  the  ground,  and  quietly  awaited  what  might  turn  up. 

We  were  kept  in  suspense  but  a  few  minutes,  when  I  saw  a 
mounted  Indian  making  towards  us  from  the  direction  of  the  bat 
tle-field,  and  fast  as  his  horse  could  bring  him.  It  was  with 
great  difficulty  I  could  keep  my  heroes  quiet.  Though  the  man 
was  a  half-mile  off,  they  raised  their  guns  to  fire  at  him,  intend 
ing  then  to  make  a  run  for  it  any  how. 

I  saw  there  was  no  room  for  trifling,  as  by  this  time  a  consi 
derable  troop  were  in  view,  and  this  fellow  I  supposed  to  be  a 
scout :  so  I  just  gave  my  ragamuffins  to  understand  that  I  would 
favor  them  with  the  contents  of  "  double-barrel,"  instead  of  the 
Indian,  if  they  didn't  lie  still  and  pass  their  fusees  over  to  me.  i 
knew  that  if  I  let  them  keep  their  guns,  fire  they  would  in  their 
fright,  and  be  just  as  apt  to  hit  me  as  the  Indians.  After  some 
little  grumbling,  they  did  as  I  commanded.  I  intended  to  do  all 
the  firing  that  was  to  be  done  myself,  arid  they  were  so  benumbed 
with  fear  that  they  were  glad  enough  to  leave  it  all  to  me. 

The  Indian  by  this  time  was  pretty  close  to  us.  He  bore  a 
icalp  on  the  top  of  his  lance,  at  the  sight  of  which  my  heroet 


04 

groaned  and  crossed  themselves,  feeling  the  tops  of  their  heads  to 
be  sure  that  theirs  were  at  home.  I  was  in  the  very  act  of  firing 
at  *he  man — for  I  was  resolved  he  should  not  pass,  and  he  was 
within  twenty  paces  of  me,  and  evidently  a  regular  bred  Indian 
— I  had  my  finger  on  the  trigger,  when  one  of  the  Mexicans 
sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  cry  of  joy,  and  rushed  out  to  meet  him. 
Here  was  a  poser — which  should  I  fire  at  ?  the  Indian  or  treach 
erous  Mexicans,  for  they  were  all  on  their  feet  and  around  him 
now. 

It  occurred  to  me  as  best  to  hold  on  a  minute,  for  I  had  all 
their  guns  any  way,  and  see  what  it  meant.  I  was  safe  enough, 
so  far  as  they  were  concerned  ;  but  what  this  sudden  coalition 
with  the  Indian  might  portend  was  more  than  I  could  conjecture, 
especially  when  I  saw  them  all  start  off,  shouting,  towards  the 
distant  party. 

During  the  indecision,  the  critical  moment  had  passed  for  an 
explanation,  since  the  Mexicans  were  out  of  reach,  and  the  Indian 
had  dashed  on.  At  first  glance  this  may  look  like  bad  general 
ship  in  me,  but  the  truth  is,  I  understood  the  language  very 
imperfectly.  From  what  I  knew  of  the  Mexican  character,  it 
seemed  impossible  they  would  have  dared  to  do  this  if  there  had 
been  treachery  in  it ;  yet  that  fellow  who  went  by  was  certainly 
a  genuine  Indian.  What  could  it  mean  ?  Were  they  stark  crazy 
to  run  out  on  the  open  prairie  to  meet  a  party  of  Indians,  and  offer 
them  their  scalps  ?  That  single  Indian  evidently  belonged  to  a 
victorious  party  !  was  it  some  of  the  friendly  tribes  who  had  hap 
pened  into  the  fight  and  turned  the  current  ?  But  Antone  said  he 
was  the  only  one  left  alive !  Oh !  but  he  lies  of  a  surety  !  What 
in  the  thunder  can  it  mean  ?  I  suppose  in.  any  event  it  means 
that  my  scalp  will  go  pretty  shortly  to  join  the  Colonel's  and 
Texan's  on  the  end  of  their  lances. 

Pretty  predicament  my  foolish  love  of  adventure  has  got  me 
into !  Glorious  fate  to  be  pinned  like  a  skewered  goose  to  one  of 
these  live  oaks  by  half  a  dozen  lances,  and  left  here  to  be  eaten  up 
piecemeal — the  sand-rats  nibbling  away  my  toes — the  ravens  and 
that  dirty  Mexican  eagle  "  boging"  away  at  my  eyes  that  have  so 
often,  "in  fine  phrensy  rolling,"  pierced  the  long  aisles  of  coming 
,tme,  and  recognised  my  own  image  nroned  among  the  great, 


65 

and  these  curls  which  I  have  nursed  so  affectionately,  glossy 
beneath  a  myrtle  crown,  the  Muse's  gift — How  will  they  look 
now  clotted  with  blood !  each  separate  hair  singing  in  the  gale 
upon  the  end  of  a  long,  greasy  lance,  or  stuck  Jn  the  dirty  belt  ol 
a  lousy  warrior  ?  Oh,  Apollo !  thou  "  of  the  plectrum  and  the 
bow  !"  what  a  fate !  I  had  plenty  of  time  for  pleasant  cogitations 
such  as  these,  before  this  perplexing  mystery  was  cleared  up. 

After  waiting  here  alone,  in  no  very  pleasant  mood,  some  twenty 
minutes,  I  peeped  from  my  hiding  place  in  the  "  mott."  My  late 
treacherous  allies  had,  by  this  time,  joined  the  approaching  party. 
Shouts  of  triumph  rent  the  air,  and  I  could  see  their  "  sombreros" 
sailing  above  the  heads  of  the  horsemen. 

"  '  Jupiter  !  take  my  cap,  and  thank  thee,' " 

thought  I ;  "  you're  in  a  gay  humor,  my  friends !  Mexicans 
never  rejoice  so  obstreperously,  but  when  some  formidable  enemy 
has  been  slain;  and  it  is  very  certain  that  they  consider  the 
Colonel  such  an  one.  They  fear  him  more  than  they  do  the 
Comanches  even,  and  I  suppose  they  have  recognised  his  fiery 
scalp  on  its  *  airy  perch  '  at  the  top  of  a  lance.  Well,  the-  only 
way  left  is  to  sell  my  own  scalp  dearly  as  I  can." 

I  stepped  back  and  examined  my  Mexican  artillery.  "  Still 
imagination  in  bottomless  conceit"  would  fail  to  compass  the 
whole  vexatious  truth  that  stared  me  in  the  face  from  that  survey. 
The  vile  fusees,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  were  not  merely  useless, 
but  greatly  more  dangerous  to  myself  than  to  any  foe  not  close 
enough  to  have  the  benefit  of  their  bursting.  I  threw  them  down 
from  me  in  indignation.  Why,  the  powder  was  as  coarse  as 

o.  1  shot — the  grains  crumbling  to  pieces — not  one  in  a  dozen 
being  entire ;  the  barrels,  nearly  all,  with  flaws  in  them,  and 
coated  thick  with  rust,  inside  and  out.  The  locks  defy  all  de 
scription — the  flints,  most  of  them,  fragments  of  pebbles ;  some 
not  loaded  at  all — others  loaded  half-way  to  the  muzzle. 

I  addressed  myself  to  the  examination  of  faithful  and  sturdy 
"  double-barrel,"  and  determined  to  trust  all  to  it.  When  the 
shouts  seemed  to  be  very  close,  I  cautiously  advanced  to  the  edge 
9f  the  timber  for  another  look.  It  now  occurred  to  me  for  the 

6* 


66 

first  time,  that  the  party  had  been  a  very  long  while  getting  te 
where  I  was  concealed.  They  moved  moie  like  a  funeral  pro* 
cession  than  like  a  victorious  war  party,  and  the  triumphant 
shouts  had  now  changed  to  a  dolorous  howl,  most  like  that  the 
wolves  raise  of  a  cloudy  night,  when  in  squads  out  on  the  prairie 
they  sit  on  end,  their  noses  pointed  upwards,  "  complaining  to  the 
moon"  of  her  uncertain  light.  There's  the  flaring  "  Serape," 
too,  and  the  white  cotton  dress  of  the  Mexicans  :  I  wonder  if  the 
Indians  have  stripped  the  clothes  from  the  poor  rascals  after  kill 
ing  them  all,  as  Antone  said,  and  decked  themselves  out  in  them  ? 
And  there  are  the  long  lances  in  their  hands.  Mexicans  don't 
carry  lances,  and  they've  got  some  half-dozen  scalps  on  them  r 
What  does  it  all  mean  ? 

I  never  was  so  inextricably  puzzled  in  my  life.  The  party 
were  now  within  a  short  distance.  They  moved  at  a  very  solemn 
pace — the  cavalry  in  double  file — the  two  in  front  bearing  lances 
with  that  ominous  hairy  pendant  still  dripping  blood.  Just  be 
hind  them  two  others  had  a  dead  body  between  them ;  next  to 
them  two  others  again,  with  lances,  and  the  same  addendum. 
Then  came  another  corse  borne  by  a  single  man  before  him ;  hold 
ing  the  hand  of  the  body,  which  was  that  of  a  grey-haired  old 
man,  rode  a  stout  young  fellow  bleeding  from  the  neck  like  a 
stuck  ox  ;  behind  them  two  more  lance-bearers ;  then  followed 
several  wounded  men  supported  in  their  saddles ;  then,  all  mixed 
in  together  with  the  remainder  of  the  troop,  came  the  straggling 
herd  of  my  quondam  warriors. 

Last  of  all — "  amazement  duplicate !" — came  the  Colonel  and 
Texan.  I  could  scarcely  believe  my  own  eyes  !  but  there  they 
were  in  the  flesh — there  cbuld  be  no  shadow  of  a  doubt — their 
scalps  safe  on  the  top  of  their  heads.  There  was  a  broad  grin 
on  the  Colonel's  face,  and  the  Texan  haw !  haw'd !  his  coarse 
glee,  though  they  seemed  to  drag  themselves  along  with  great 
difficulty,  from  fatigue.  This  set  me  at  rest ;  there  was  plainly 
no  great  danger,  at  least,  however  strange  the  affair  still  seemed. 
So  I  sprang  from  my  hiding-place  and  ran  to  meet  them.  My 
sudden  appearance  caused  some  confusion  among  the  troops,  who 
were  evidently  panic-stricken  and  ready  to  run  at  anything.  The 
Colonel  greeted  me  with  a  jeering  shout : 


67 

"  Haw  !  haw  !  Kentuck,  we  were  just  laughing  at  you.  That 
was  a  high  caper  of  yours,  taking  the  guns  away  from  the  poor 
Yellow-Bellies !  Not  so  bad  though,  old  fellow.  Don't  be 
discouraged  :  you'll  make  a  Texan  some  of  these  days  yet. 
Were  you  soft  enough  to  expect  to  shoot  with  the  things  after  you 
got  'em  ?  Pleasant  time  you've  had.  Hasn't  your  hair  turned 
white  ?  Antone  scared  you,  did  he  ?  Pity  you  hadn't  shot  the 
rascal ;  the  first  gun  that  was  fired,  he  broke  !" 

"  Well,  but  stop,  for  heaven's  sake — tell  me  what  it  all  means  ! 
Who  was  that  Indian  that  staved  by  me  ?" 

"  Ha !  ha  !  it  was  that  Indian  scared  you,  was  it  ?  He  is  a 
renegade  of  the  Tonquoways ;  the  tribe  were  all  killed  some  time 
ago  but  him  and  seven  or  eight  others !  He  does  look  a  little  like 
a  Comanche,  sure  enough.  He  was  going  to  announce  the  vic 
tory,  as  these  fools  call  it,  at  the  Ranches.  He's  a  '  high 
particular'  of  the  old  hag's,  and  lives  with  her  ;  you  didn't  know 
it  ?  Between  him  and  Antone,  you've  had  enough  to  make  a 
fellow  feel  ticklish  !  You  thought  Texas  and  me  were  murdered, 
and  that  your  time  was  to  come  next,  did  you  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  I  thought  you  were  gone  cases  to  a  certainty  !  But  did 
you  get  into  the  fight  at  last  ?" 

"  No,  d — n  it ;  we've  had  our  race  for  nothing.  They've  got 
his  horse  for  Texas,  though  !" 

"  And  ours  are  gone,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  Yes,  clear  enough." 

"  But  what  do  these  dead  and  wounded  men  mean  ?  These 
creatures  didn't  make  a  fight  of  it,  surely,  did  they  '?" 

"  Fight  of  it,  indeed  !  You'd  as  well  talk  of  a  flock  of  sucking 
doves  fighting  with  hawks,  as  of  these  fellows  making  anything 
of  a  fight  with  Co'manches  ?" 

"  Well,  how  was  it  ?" 

"  Curse  their  stupid  whinings,  they  deafen  me  !  Come,  let's 
fall  back  a  little,  and  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it.  That  Indian 
you  saw  is  the  only  brave  man  they  had,  and  he  told  me  the 
whole  story.  You  see,  the  cowardly  asses,  after  Texas  had 
scared  them  as  you  saw,  tore  off  on  the  trail  of  the  Indians,  think 
ing,  I  suppose,  that  they  were  far  enough  out  of  their  reach.  So 
long  as  they  had  nothing  before  them  but  the  tracks,  they 


68 

Brimful  of  blood  and  thunder  !  They  frightened  the  cranes  and 
deer — made  the  prairie-hens  scurry  away  a  little  quicker  and 
further  than  usual — and  the  partridges  whirr!  whirr!  more 
suddenly  in  their  faces  from  the  grass.  This  was  about  the 
amount  of  damage  done,  until  they  galloped  into  the  timber  on 
the  '  Medina.' 

"  You  know  that's  a  dry  Creek,  with  a  water-hole  here  and  there 
every  eight  or  ten  miles  on  its  course.  As  they  came  through  at 
full  speed  on  the  other  side  of  the  skirt  of  woods,  they  found 
themselves  right  in  the  camp  of  the  Comanches !  The  main  body 
of  the  Indians  hurried  together  the  mules  and  horses  they  had 
stolen  from  us,  and  started  them  off  at  full  tilt  over  the  prairie. 
The  Mexicans  drew  up  their  horses  stock  still  in  a  squad,  They 
were  completely  stupefied  at  finding  themselves  face  to  face  with 
a  foe  they  dreaded  mortally.  After  the  Indians  had  got  their 
plunder  fairly  under  way,  about  six  of  them  wheeled  out  of  the 
crowd,  and  turned  to  punish  their  impudent  pursuers. 

"  They  have  always  held  the  Mexicans  in  such  contempt,  that 
they  never  think  of  stopping  to  count  them  before  a  fight,  but 
rush  right  among  them,  it  matters  not  what  the  disparity  of  num 
bers  may  be.  There  were  two  young  chiefs,  brothers,  leading 
this  war  party,  who  have  been  very  famous  in  the  border-fights. 
The  Mexican  women  scared  their  babies  to  sleep  with  the  names 
of  these  two  braves,  so  notoriously  formidable  were  they.  They 
were  mounted  upon  your  horse  and  the  Texan's,  and  felt  unusu 
ally  spunky,  because  their  steeds  were  taller  than  those  of  their 
followers.  So  they  came  staving  down  upon  the  poor  Mexicans 
with  lances  in  rest,  and  rode  clear  through  them,  bearing  down 
man  and  horse.  Some  fire  or  six  Mexicans,  out  of  the  whole 
number  of  twenty,  tasted  the  sod  at  this  charge  ;  their  comrades 
remaining  perfectly  passive — not  pulling  a  trigger  or  raising  an 
arm. 

"  The  Comanches,  as  soon  as  they  could  gather  up  their  head 
way,  turned  and  charged  upon  them  again.  By  this  time  the 
Mexicans  had  remembered  that  they  had  guns ;  and,  pulling 
trigger  desperately  in  the  direction  of  the  Indians,  they  actually 
ihot  two  of  their  horses.  The  horses  fell,  and  the  warriors 
instantly  rushed  at  two  of  the  Mexicans,  and  dragged  them  from 


I 

their  horses  by  the  leg,  and  then,  after  knocking  them  on  the  head 
with  the  butts  of  their  own  guns,  jumped  into  their  saddles. 

"  In  the  meantime  Antone,  without  attempting  to  fire  his  gun, 
ihrew  it  down  and  started,  shrieking,  over  the  prairie.  The  fore 
most  one  of  the  young  chieftains,  in  this  second  charge,  ran  his 
lance  through  the  body  of  a  Mexican,  and  bore  him  clear  over 
his  horse's  rump  on  its  point,  and,  dropping  him,  galloped  on. 
His  brother,  who  followed  him,  drove  his  lance  into  the  breast  of 
old  Callistro  (the  frosty-haired  old  carcase  they  are  lugging  ahead 
there),  and  while  he  was  extracting  it,  his  son — who,  for  a  won 
der,  had  some  manhood  in  him — lifted  himself  in  his  saddle  and 
struck,  with  all  his  might,  a  long  thin-bladed  knife  he  wore,  into 
the  back  of  the  Comanche.  The  knife  doubled  up  like  a  piece  of 
tin  on  the  shoulder-blade  of  the  Indian.  He  had  extricated  his 
lance  from  the  body  o£  the  father,  and  wheeling  in  his  saddle, 
drove  it  into  the  neck  of  the  son,  bearing  him  to  the  ground,  and 
dashed  on. 

"  The  Indian  that  scared  you,  happening  to  remember  that  he 
had  an  American  pistol,  fired  it  at  the  chief  as  he  was  galloping 
off,  and,  by  accident,  striking  him  in  the  back  part  of  the  head, 
tumbled  him  from  the  horse  of  Texas,  dead  enough.  His  brother, 
who  was  hurrying  on  before,  galloped  away  with  the  rest  of  his 
friends,  thinking  all  was  safe,  and  intending  to  rejoin  the  main 
body,  who  were  now  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off;  when  the  Mexicans, 
regaining  their  courage  as  the  enemy  got  further  off,  shouted 
after  them,  tauntingly,  « Come  back,  you  cowards,  and  get  the 
body  of  your  comrade  !J 

"  You  know  it's  a  sacred  point  with  these  fellows  never  to 
leave  a  corse  of  their  braves  with  an  enemy.  The  young  chief 
heard  the  taunt  and  stopped  his  horse,  while  the  others  of  his 
company  kept  on ;  and  pausing  for  an  instant,  he  shook  his  lance 
above  his  head,  and  swore,  I  suppose  in  his  own  tongue,  that  he 
would  regain  it  or  die.  Without  calling  his  friends  back,  he 
charged  alone  upon  an  enemy  he  scorned  too  much.  The 
Mexicans  were  still  standing  in  a  passive  bewildered  group  ;  and 
as  this  single  man  came  thundering  back  towards  them,  they  sat 
in  stupid  inaction  upon  their  horses,  undetermined  whether  they 
must  run  or  wait  to  be  killed. 


"  The  gallant  young  chieftain  rushe|d  his  horse  right  into  the 
midst  of  them,  and  springing  to  the  ground,  threw  his  arms  round 
the  body  of  his  brother,  and  lifting  it  as  a  sort  of  shield  in  front 
of  him,  commenced  backing  towards  your  horse,  which  he  had 
been  riding.  Your  horse  happened  not  to  be  so  well  trained  as 
his  own,  and  instead  of  waiting  for  him,  broke  off  for  the  main 
body.  So  the  daring  young  fellov/  was  left,  alone  and  on  foot,  a 
half  mile  from  his  clansmen,  who  had  not  missed  him,  and  were 
going  ahead. 

"  Now  was  the  time  for  Mexican  valor !  and  the  cowardly 
rascals  charged  upon  this  single  man  with  most  ferocious  daring. 
He  fought  like  a  tiger,  still  holding  on  to  the  body  of  his  brother, 
while  he  let  fly  his  arrows  and  plied  with  quick  thrusts  his  lance 
among  them,  and  would  probably  have  succeeded  in  driving 
them  back,  had  not  our  Indian  by  this  time  loaded  his  pistol 
again,  and  shot  him  in  the  breast.  He  fell  back  with  his  brother's 
body  upon  him,  and  the  war-whoop  on  his  lips  !" 

"  Well,  but,  Colonel,  according  to  your  account,  these  two 
young  Comanche  knights  were  the  only  men  killed.  Where  did 
these  heroes  get  all  their  scalps  from  ?" 

"  Oh,  they  are  the  scalps  of  the  men  we  shot.  The  Mexicans, 
after  the  Indians  were  out  of  sight,  saw  one  of  their  '  Buzzard 
Eagles'  flying  about  a  gully  near  the  scene  of  the  fight,  and  on 
examining  it  found  four  bodies  covered  up  side  by  side  in  the 
dirt.  They  dragged  them  out  and  took  off  their  scalps,  hoisted 
them  on  the  ends  of  their  lances,  and  are  parading  them  as  part 
of  their  own  trophies.  They  are  going  to  tell  their  people  at  the 
Ranchos  that  they  killed  them,  and  such  bragging  lies  as  they 
will  bluster  out,  you  cannot  conceive  of.  There  never  was  a 
happier  national  emblem  chosen  before  than  they  have  selected. 
This  Mexican  Eagle  is  a  dirty  cowardly  creature,  that  feeds 
upon  carcases,  and  will  hardly  attack  a  live  rabbit — a  perfect 
buzzard !  And  there  is  such  close  affinity  between  their  habits 
and  the  Mexican  character,  that  I  don't  wonder  at  their  hoisting  a 
carrion-bird  upon  their  national  standard.  There  is  a  fitness  in 
the  thing  that  is  really  beautiful !  ' 

"The  Indians  had  stopped  to  hide  their  dead  here,and  this  is  the 
way  it  happened  that  these  fellows  stumbled  upon  them — very 


71 

much  to  their  own  dismay,  for  when  they  le/t  us  they  had  not  the 
slightest  expectation  of  catching  up  with  the  Indians.  They 
merely  wished  to  make  a  sputter  and  have  something  to  brag 
about  to  .heir  women  and  children  of  what  terrible  things  they 
would  have  done  if  they  had  only  found  the  enemy.  I  am  sorry 
these  two  young  chiefs  were  killed  in  a  fight  with  such  dastardly 
knaves,  for  they  were  worthy  of  a  better  death.  If  we  had  killed 
them  it  would  have  been  well  enough ;  but  to  die  by  accident  at 
the  hands  of  an  enemy  they  scorned  too  much  to  count,  was 
a  hard  fate  for  brave  men. 

"  I  have  fought  with  two  parties  commanded  by  these  young 
warriors,  and  they  were  the  most  daring  Comanches  I  ever  saw. 
They  have  been  following  the  Santa  Fe  boys  that  started  from 
Austin  several  months  ago,  and  I  think  they  must  have  cut 
off  several  of  their  parties.  Didn't  you  notice  they  had  a  number 
of  articles  of  American  clothing  among  them  ?  They  had  shirts 
and  waistcoats  all  put  on  the  wrong  way.  The  Tonquoway  says 
one  of  those  we  killed  had  a  cotton  shirt  tied  by  the  sleeves 
around  his  waist.  That  expedition  is  doing  badly,  I  haven't 
a  doubt,  for  this  whole  party  fought  better,  and  showed  less  fear 
of  our  guns  than  I  have  ever  known  them.  I  can  only  account 
for  it  on  the  ground  that  they  have  been  successful  while  hanging 
about  the  skirts  of  that  party  in  cutting  off  and  killing  a  number 
of  them,  whom  they  have  stripped ;  and  this  unusual  success  has 
overcome,  to  some  degree,  the  wholesome  terror  of  our  guns  we 
frontier  marksmen  had  inspired  them  with.  Why,  I  have  known 
a  single  Texan  to  keep  at  bay  fifty  Comanches,  by  merely 
raising  his  rifle  to  his  face  every  time  they  came  too  close. 
It  has  been  a  point  of  tactics  with  them  I  never  knew  a  deviation 
from  before — never  to  risk  the  loss  of  a  warrior  by  charging  down 
upon  a  man  armed  with  a  rifle,  until  he  has  fired  it  off. 

"  A  single  individual  has  often  escaped  from  large  bodies 
of  them  by  reserving  his  fire,  threatening  them  with  it  whenever 
they  ventured  near  enough  for  their  arrows  to  take  effect.  They 
always  wheel  and  dash  back  when  a  rifle  they  believe  to 
be  loaded  is  presented  at  them,  and  the  man,  if  he  is  cool  and 
collected,  will  keep  them  off  until  he  reaches  the  timber,  when 
the  Comanches  will  give  it  up  as  a  bad  ob,  for  they  never  follow 


72 

an  armed  man  into  the  woods.  They  have  an  unconquerable 
horror  of  the  brush.  I'll  give  you  an  instance  of  this. 

"  About  three  years  ago  an  old  fellow,  a  regular  backwoods 
man,  named  Andrews,  and  myself,  were  skirting  up  the  San 
Antonio,  '  still  hunting.'  In  this  sort  of  a  hunt,  as  you  know, 
we  go  on  foot,  trusting  entirely  to  our  knowledge  of  their  habits 
for  discovering  the  deer,  who  come  in  from  the  prairies,  regularly, 
about  eleven  o'clock,  to  drink. 

"  We  saw  a  fine  herd  out  on  the  prairie,  who,  from  their 
regular  gait,  were  evidently  going  to  water.  The  course  they 
were  pursuing  we  saw  would  bring  them  within  gun-shot  of  a 
'  mott7  of  timber  about  half  a  mile  from  us  ;  to  reach  it  we  had  to 
cross  this  distance  of  open  prairie.  We  accordingly  started 
across,  and  about  half  way  a  party  of  at  least  a  hundred 
Comanches  showed  themselves  ;  they  had  been  concealed  on  the 
other  side  of  the  *  mott,'  and  as  soon  as  we  were  far  enough  from 
the  timber,  they  rushed  at  us.  We  stopped.  They  galloped 
around  us  in  a  circle  of  about  two  hundred  yards  at  first,  then 
closed  up  gradually  until  they  got  close  enough  to  send  their 
arrows  at  us.  I  fired.  A  warrior  reeled  in  his  saddle,  and  two 
others  took  him  off.  They  instantly  dashed  out  of  reach  of  out 
bullets.  Andrews  reserved  his  fire,  while  I  loaded. 

"  We  kept  retreating  towards  the  timber  we  had  left,  and  they 
closed  round  us  again.  This  time  Andrews  fired,  and  as  soon  as 
he  did  it,  they,  thinking  both  of  our  charges  were  out,  came  upon 
us  in  a  body,  within  twenty  paces,  at  full  speed ;  but  they  had 
made  a  slight  mistake,  and  I  gave  them  a  blizzard  that  sent  one 
of  them  to  *  kingdom  come.' 

"  We  had  a  deep  gully  to  cross  just  before  we  reached  the 
timber,  and  as  we  were  both  walking  backwards,  with  our  faces 
to  the  Indians,  we  did  not  perceive  it  until  Andrews,  whose  gun 
was  loaded,  pitched  backwards  into  it.  I  had  barely  time  to  get 
my  powder  down  my  rifle,  when  the  Indians,  seeing  this,  came 
yelling  at  me.  I  thought  the  game  was  up  with  me,  but  I  stood 
firm,  and  fired  my  blank  load  at  them.  They  wheeled  back,  as 
usual,  and  I  jumped  down  the  gully.  I  had  one  arrow  sacking 
in  my  shoulder  when  I  picked  myself  up,  and  Andrews,  who  had 
jy  this  time  climbed  the  other  side  of  the  gully,  shouted  that  they 


73 

• 

were  off  for  good  ;  and  when  I  got  on  the  top,  I  saw  them  going 
at  full  tilt,  two  hundred  yards  off.  The  crack  of  my  rifle  saved 
us  that  time  to  a  certainty. 

"  But  their  success  with  the  Santa  Fe  boys  has  spoiled  all  such 
games  as  this  now,  and  we  shall  have  some  hard  fighting  with 
them  hereafter.  I  see  by  to-day's  experience,  as  the  old  woman 
said  about  skinning  her  eels,  that  they  are  getting  *  used '  to 
being  shot." 

Here  the  Colonel  was  interrupted.  The  foremost  of  the 
stragglers  from  Rancho  had  by  this  time  met  our  troops,  and  they 
were  greeted  by  a  prolonged,  dolorous  yell,  that  was  taken  up  by 
one  squad  after  another,  until  the  mournful  echoes  swelled  back 
in  one  general  burst  from  what  seemed  to  be  the  united  voice  of 
the  whole  population  of  all  the  Ranches  together. 

These  semi-barbarous  people  express  every  character  of 
sentiment  in  most  uncouth  exaggerations.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive  anything  more  unpleasantly  sad  and  monotonous 
than  this  lengthened  and  simultaneous  wail — quaver  on  quaver 
still  higher,  and  mounting,  from  voices  of  every  tone  and  pitch, 
of  every  sex  and  age,  until  the  very  heavens  rang  again  with 
their  wild  moans.  It  was  a  strange  scene,  and,  for  the  life  of  me, 
I  could  not  help  being  impressed  with  the  belief  that  it  was 
all  sincere. 

As  we  approached  the  Rancho  of  the  old  Senora,  they  came 
pouring  out  to  meet  us,  of  all  ages  and  conditions,  from  the  "  blue 
meagre  Hag,"  with  the  shrill  "  piping  treble  "  of  her  screech,  to 
the  "  freckled  whelp,  Hag-born, ;:  with  the  richer  cadence  of  its 
blubbering  grief,  tearing  their  long, .coarse  hair,  and  tossing  their 
limbs  into  the  most  grotesque  expression  of  sorrow  for  one  minute, 
as  they  looked  upon  the  dead  and  bleeding  heroes,  and  in  another, 
as  the  lance-bearers  would  wave  before  their  eyes  the  gory  and 
dripping  scalps,  bursting  into  an  exulting  shout,  laughing  like 
Bedlamites  amid  their  tears.  The  scene  was  most  ludicrously 
comic  'for  one  instant,  then  "  pitiful !  'twas  wondrous  pitiful !"  the 
next.  The  chivalrous  warrior  Mexicans  themselves  bore  all  with 
marvellous  stoicism,  only  giving  vent  now  and  then  to  a  grunted 
sob,  but  evidently  striving  most  manfully  to  deport  them  with 
martial  sternness,  and  awe  the  squalling  children  and  women 


74 

oy  their  valorous  endurance.  They  held  their  faces  stiffly 
turned  towards  the  horizon,  their  eyes  set  in  savage  abstraction, 
as  if  they  were  bent  upon  looking  down  some  fierce  foe  from  the 
clouds. 

All  this  was  entirely  becoming  gallant  and  ferocious  warriors  j 
and  the  women  and  children  shuddered  as  they  looked  upon  this 
savage  abstraction,  that  seemed  to  say,  "  Oh  that  an  enemy 
would  show  himself,  that  we  might  eat  him  !"  But  their  outrd 
and  almost  frantic  demonstrations  of  passionate  feeling  actually 
inspired  me  with  a  comparative  respect  for  these  creatures.  My 
sympathies  were  specially  enlisted  for  the  young  man  who  had 
been  wounded  in  the  defence  of  his  father,  and  who,  regardless 
of  it,  still  clung  with  such  filial  affection  to  the  lifeless  body. 

This  seemed  to  me  an  exhibition  of  traits  common  to  humanity, 
I  was  neither  prepared  for  nor  expected  to  see  in  the  Mexican 
character.  I  felt  myself  irresistibly  drawn  towards  this  man, 
from  the  very  novelty  of  the  thing.  A  Mexican  obeying  the 
impulses  sacred  to  manhood  !  It  was  a  phenomenon  not  to  be  met 
with  every  day ;  and  as  I  happened  to  possess  some  surgical 
knowledge,  I  determined  to  do  all  that  I  could  to  save  the  poor 
fellow  ;  so  I  followed  him  to  his  hut.  It  was  a  part  of  the  large 
Rancho  of  the  Senora  Cavillo— a  continuation  of  the  side  of  the 
square  court,  facing  upon  the  San  Antonio  River— and  was  a  sort 
of  burrow  dug  into  the  face  of  the  bank,  that  looked  more  like  a 
large  dutch-oven  than  anything  else. 

We  had  crossed  the  river  and  climbed  the  hill,  and  his 
comrades  were  helping  the  exhausted  man  from  his  horse,  when 
his  wife,  a  slight,  remarkably  fair,  and  beautiful  Mexican  woman, 
came  rushing  out  of  her  house,  her  long  hair  all  dishevelled,  and 
shrieking  frantically,  threw  herself  upon  his  bleeding  neck, 
kissing  his  blue  lips,  and  pouring  out  between  each  kiss  such 
pathetic  wails  of  passionate  grief  as  I  never  heard  before ;  and 
following  in  the  wake  came  all  the  "  kith-and-kin,"  numerous 
enough  for  a  half-dozen  generations,  who  tumbled  themselves 
"  en  masse  "  upon  the  poor  man,  "  shrieking  their  dolors  forth," 
and  kissing  his  feet,  his  fingers,  and  his  clothes,  with  such 
unreckoning  eagerness,  that  they  were  actually  smothering  what 
little  life  there  was  left  out  of  the  miserable  wretch,  when  I  rao 


To 

in  among  them,  and  scattered  right  and  left  until  I  made  a  lane 
for  him  to  be  borne  through. 

When  we  had  succeeded  in  getting  him  into  the  house,  all  my 
efforts  were  unavailing  in  keeping  out  the  crowd ;  and  although 
the  man  had  lost  blood  enough  already  to  make  a  horse  faint,  they 
were  jammed  around  him  thick  as  they  could  press,  everybody 
questioning  him  about  the  fight,  and  he,  while  the  blood  gushed 
at  every  word,  answering — game  to  the  last — in  Mexican  ex 
aggerations  of  the  terrific  deeds  of  his  party  and  himself.  His 
voice  grew  fainter  and  fainter,  and  even  the  national  glory  of 
"  bragging"  faded  gradually  into  articulations  upon  his  lips,  as  he 
sank  down.  I  now  interfered  in  earnest,  and  drove  out  all  the 
whining  pack,  and  pinned  down  the  "  bull's-hide,"  that  answered 
for  a  door,  upon  them. 

The  man  had  been  laid  upon  his  bed ;  and  in  returning  to  ex 
amine  the  insensible  body,  I  stumbled  upon  a  "  sombrero"  which 
was  lying  upon  the  floor.  I  kicked  the  hat  aside  without  thinking 
of  it  particularly,  when,  at  the  same  moment,  the  Colonel  lifted 
the  "  hide,"  and  stepped  in. 

"  Ah !"  said  he,  "  you  think,  I  suppose,  that  this  fellow's  wife, 
who  is  making  such  a  whinneying  there,  is  the  most  afflicted  and 
virtuous  dame  that  can  be  conceived,  don't  you  ?" 

"  Yes — she  seems  to  be  in  earnest  with  her  grief." 

"  Ha,  ha !  you've  got  a  heap  to  learn  yet  about  Mexican 
character  !  You  see  that  man's  hat  there  on  the  floor  ?  Well, 
that  belongs  to  a  young  Mexican,  who  had  been  in  here  with  the 
wife  of  this  '  spike-buck'  that  lies  there  nearly  dead  ;  and  when 
they  heard  us  coming,  the  scamp  jumped  up  and  hustled  in  such 
a  hurry  that  he  left  his  '  sombrero'  behind,  and  this  huzzy  ran 
out  to  meet  her  husband,  as  if  she  were  distracted  with  grief. 
You  musn't  take  things  as  they  seem  to  be  with  these  Mexicans !" 

"  But,  Colonel,  I  am  going  to  do  what  I  can  to  save  this  man, 
any  how." 

"  Yes,  yes !  well  enough  !  He  did  amazingly  for  a  Mexican, 
in  fighting  for  his  father.  He's  not  accountable  for  the  treachery 
of  his  wife." 

On  examining  his  wounds,  I  found  that  one  of  the  small  arteiies 
tf  the  neck  had  been  severed  by  the  lance  ;  it  was  still  bleeding 


76 

very  freely,  and  now  to  stop  it  was  the  question.  An  old  shrivelled 
woman,  who  had  persisted  in  remaining,  brought  me  some  "  bone- 
dust,"  and  gabbled  away  in  a  long  dissertation  upon  its  curative 
powers  and  positive  infallibility  in  such  cases.  As  I  had  no  in- 
strument  for  taking  up  the  artery,  I  saw  at  once  that  the  only 
chance  for  saving  the  man  was  to  hold  my  finger  upon  it  steadily 
and  patiently  until  a  reunion  of  the  parts  occurred ;  so  driv 
ing  the  old  woman  and  her  "  yarbs"  and  "  bone-dust"  from  the 
room,  in  spite  of  her  obstreperous  cries  that  I  was  going  to  murder 
the  poor  man,  I  stretched  myself  upon  the  bed  beside  him,  and 
with  my  finger  upon  the  bleeding  orifice,  determined  to  try  what 
gentle  and  constant  pressure  would  do  towardfe  supplying  the  defi 
ciency  of  surgical  instruments ;  and  there  I  lay  by  that  insensible 
body,  fending  off  the  obstreperous  hypocrisy  of  his  wife  and 
friends  with  one  hand,  while  the  other  was  steadily  pressed  upon 
the"stubborn  wound. 

The  extravagant  howls  of  grief  gradually,  as  the  night  ad 
vanced,  died  away,  and  all  was  heavy  silence  except  the  deep 
breathing  of  the  wounded  man,  and  an  occasional  interlude  of 
"toowhit!  toowhit!  toowhoo!"  from  the  gloomy  woods  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  This  was  a  singular  position  of  mine. 

The  low  squalid  hut  was  dimly  lit  by  a  lamp  on  the  earth  ;  on 
pallets  of  goat-skins,  strewed  about  the  floor,  lay  the  snoring  rela 
tives  ;  while  the  wife,  seated  on  a  stool  by  the  fire,  was  rocking 
herself  to  and  fro,  accompanying  this  now  and  then  with  sudden 
bursts  of  grief,  that  died  off  into  a  low  monotonous  wail,  and  then 
into  silence  again.  So  the  long  hours  dragged  on,  while  I, 
wearied,  but  sleepless,  watched  over  this  man's  swoon.  Towards 
day  the  bleeding  was  checked,  and  he  showed  some  signs  of  life. 
I  was  gratified  by  this,  but  had  to  defend  him  stoutly  from  potions 
the  women  insisted  upon  cramming  down  his  throat,  that  were  no 
doubt  equal  to  the  cabalistic  concoctions  into  which  the  "  wart  of 
toad  and  egg  of  newt"  entered  in  the  witches'  caldron. 

I  fought  them  off  successfully,  and  after  getting  him  quiet 
again  I  walked  out  into  the  open  air,  to  stretch  my  limbs  once 
more  after  the  painful  restraint  of  nearly  twelve  hours  in  one  posi 
tion.  Day  was  just  beginning  to  break,  and  heavy  mists  hung  an 


77 

almost  impalpable  curtain  over  everytning — the  peculiar  stillnem 
of  that  hour  reminded  me  of  those  lines  of  Keats  : 

"  And  obstinate  silence 
Came  heavily  again,"  &c. 

^y 

As  I  was  in  the  act  of  stepping  out  from  behind  the  hut,  I  saw 
indistinctly  through  the  fog,  two  men  splendidly  mounted,  stand 
ing  near  the  great  gate  of  the  Rancho,  and  conversing  with  the 
old  madam,  in  low,  eager  tones.  They  were  dressed  in  dark 
cloaks,  with  pistols  in  front  of  them  in  holsters,  and  the  "  Toledo" 
swinging  from  their  belts.  They  had  a  silver  band  around  their 
"  sombreros,"  and  the  white  gleam  of  the  rich  metal  shewed  it 
self  from  various  parts  of  their  handsome  outfit — from  the  handles 
of  their  stilettoes  and  heavy  horseman's  pistols,  from  the  peak  of 
their  saddles,  and  their  splendid  bridle-bits.  Altogether  they 
were  formidable  and  showy-looking  men,  and  I  felt  no  sort  of  dis- 
pos'tion  to  interrupt  their  business  with  the  old  woman  by  showing 
myself,  especially  as  I  was  unarmed.  I  drew  myself  back  and 
kept  perfectly  quiet,  endeavoring  to  catch  as  much  of  their  talk 
as  I  could.  It  was  but  little  I  could  gather,  though  it  was  suffi 
cient  to  convince  me  that  it  was  Agatone  himself  (the  Colonel's 
great  enemy),  and  one  of  his  lieutenants. 

In  a  few  moments  they  wheeled  and  galloped  off  through  the 
mist,  while  I  went  in  to  get  my  gun,  and  started  hastily  off  for  the 
Colonel's  Rancho,  determined  to  advertise  him  as  soon  as  possible 
of  this  ominous  visit,  which  I  foresaw  must  portend  some  further 
bloody  work. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DAVIS,     THE     HALF-BREED. 

AFTER  a  hurried  walk,  I  reached  the  Rancho.  The  first 
object  that  met  my  eye  there  convinced  me  that  a  new  arrival 
had  occurred  during  the  night.  A  horse  was  standing  at  the 
picket  blocks,  rigged  off  in  a  style  so  peculiar  as  can  only  be 
conceived  of  on  this  frontier.  There  was  something  taken  from 
all  parties  to  compose  .this  characteristic  equipment.  The  bridle, 
lariat,  quirt,  and  buffalo-robe  had  belonged  to  some  Comanche 
warrior,  who  had  bitten  the4  dust  before  the  unerring  rifle  of 
perhaps  their  present  Downer.  The  silver-mounted  saddle  had 
once  been  honored  by  the  seat  of  some  tinsel-bearing  braggadocio 
of  Santa  Anna's  regular  officials.  The  blanket  was  American, 
probably  from  the  packs  of  the  Santa  Fe  traders.  The  half- 
gallon  water-gourd"  looked  like  a  "  big-bellied  bottle,"  with  a 
second  one,  a  little  larger,  hitched  to  its  bottom  by  the  neck,  and 
all  made  fast  by  a  transparent  raw-hide,  fitting  like  wax,  drawn 
over  them  both.  I  thought  it  was  a  double  glass-bottle,  in  reality, 
until  examination  showed  me  that  it  was  a  complete  gourd.  The 
raw-hide  cover  was  marked  with  sundry  curious  hieroglyphics, 
which  showed  that  it  came  from  some  Indian  village  towards  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  steed  himself  was  a  regular  vicious- 
looking,  pied,  skew-ball  of  a  mustang.  "  And  the  owner  of  this 
eccentric  paraphernalia  !  he  must  be  an  '  out-and-outer  P  a  real 
'  wild  boy  !'  and  this  horse  is  foamy  and  blown — he  must  have 
been  running  for  it !  Some  more  news  from  the  Comanches,  I 
expect !  I'll  call  the  Colonel  out,  and  tell  him  about  that  fellow, 
Agatone,  first,  before  I  go  in  to  see  this  man,  for  he  may  not  be 
the  right  sort  of  character  to  tdik  before." 


79 

I  saw  the  Colonel,  at  this  moment,  step,  yawning  and  stretch- 
ing,  lazily  to  the  door.  He  was  just  in  the  act  of  greeting  me 
with  his  usual  loud  jeering  welcome,  when  I  made  a  quick  ges 
ture  of  caution,  and  beckoned  him  out.  He  caught  his  breath 
instantly,  and  stepped  quietly  behind  the  house. 

I  followed  him,  and  having  communicated  my  news  in  a 
whisper,  he  almost  turned  black  in  the  face,  and  champed  his 
teeth  heavily,  like  a  wild 'boar,  at  hearing  that  his  mortal  enemy 
had  been  so  near,  him  and  escaped.  He  seized  me,  with  the 
grip  of  a  grizzly  bear,  by  the  arm,  and  hurried  me  into  the  cow- 
pen  at  a  safer  distance  from  the  house ;  and  between  the  low, 
smothered  growl  of  curses  to  the  name  of  Agatone,  he  questioned 
me  eagerly  as  to  every  point  in  regard  to  the  appearance  of  the 
men,  the  length  of  time  since  they  started,  the  direction  they 
took,  &c.,  until,  being  satisfied  in  this  respect,  he  grew  a  little 
more  self-possessed,  and  thanked  me  for  coming  so  soon  to  let 
him  know.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  I  hav'n't  a  doubt  the  wolfish 
sneak  has  a  camp  somewhere  close  at  hard,  and  all  his  pack 
with  him.  I  must  go  over  to  the  old  madam's  and  start  the 
Tonquoway  on  his  trail ;  for,  although  she  likes  the  Indian,  he 
likes  me  better,  and  hates  Agatone  more.  He  will  find  out 
where  •  they  are  camped,  and  bring  me  back  the  news  ;  .and 
then  !"  he  fairly  trembled  as  he  clutched  his  knife.  "  But  I  am 
glad  you  called  me  out  as  you  did  ;  for  that  d— d  mongrel  crea- 
<?ure  in  the  house,  there — I  wouldn't  have  him  to  hear  this  for  a 
horse  !" 

"  Who  is  he,  Colonel  ?" 

"  Why,  the  devil  only  knows,  for  nobody  else  claims  him ! 
He's  a  half-breed  Mexican  and  white.  His  name  is  Davis.  He's 
a  thieving,  cut-throat  rascal,  that  lives  between  both  parties,  and 
on  both.  He  has  been  all  through  Mexico,  California — every, 
where,  indeed ! — knows  everybody,  and  has  plundered  every 
body — Americans,  Mexicans,  Indians,  and  all ;  and  every  one 
hates  him,  and  feels  uneasy  while  he  is  about ;  for  he  is  such  a 
lying,  treacherous  villain,  that  there  is  no  telling  when  you  are 
safe  where  he  is.  He  has  been  living,  until  the  -last  month  or 
iwo,  down  yonder,  at  the  Rancho  of  that  poor  fool  of  a  Texan 
lieutenant  I  told  you  about,  that  married  a  Mexican  woman,  and 


80 

has  been  making  a  « spike  buck'  of  him ;  and  he,  poor  sneak, 
hasn't  had  the  manhood  to  drive  him  off.  He  went  away  of 
himself,  a  short  time  since,  on  some  treacherous  expedition,  and 
I  hoped  he  was  gone  for  good,  when  he  came  staving  up  here 
this  morning,  all  in  a  sweat,  with  the  news  that  there  is  a  large 
camp  of  Comanches,  about  fifteen  miles  off,  on  the  Medina.  He 
says  they  chased' him,  but  I  doubt  it.  I  am  afraid  there  is  some 
treachery  in  it.  I  don't  like  him  and  Agatone  being  in  the 
neighborhood  at  the  same  time.  I  expect,  for  one,  that  we  shall 
have  to  tie  him  up  and  shoot  him !  But  I  must  go  !  You  walk 
in  as  if  you  had  just  come,  and  be  cautious  how  you  talk  before 
him." 

So  we  parted,  he  setting  off  speedily  for  the  Rancho,  while  1 
stepped  carelessly  into  the  house.  There  were  two  men  sitting 
at  the  table  with  the  Texan,  who  introduced  me  in  a  characteristic 
manner,  merely  saying,  as  he  nodded  from  me  to  a  tall,  stout, 
sunburnt  young  American,  who  had  rather  a  soft  look  out  of  his 
large,  meaningless,  flaring  eyes,  "  Kentuck,  this  is  the  lieutenant ! 
and  this  man,"  nodding  at  the  other  man,  "  is  Davis !  Sit  down, 
or  you'll  have  nothing  left  here  to  eat.  The  '  woman  '  will  have 
to  cook  more  for  the  Colonel.  Did  you  see  him  as  you  came 
along?" 

"  Yes,  I  saw  him  going  towards  the  upper  Ranchos." 

"Did  your  pet  Mexican  die?  haw,  haw!  You  were  nicely 
set  to  work,  to  go  to  all  that  trouble  to  save  a  filthy  hog  of  a 
Mexican  from  dying.  Why,  I  had  much  sooner  have  stamped 
his  entrails  out !" 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  I,  so  soon  as  the  laugh  in  which 
the  other  two  had  joined  would  permit  me  to  be  heard  ;  "  it  would 
be  impossible  for  you  to  understand  the  interest  I  took  in  this 
man." 

"  Yes,  I  have  got  no  blarney  in  me  to  waste  on  a  brute  of  a 
Mexican." 

"  Nobody  doubts  your  having  too  much  of  the  brute  in  you,  to 
care  for  others,  whether  fellow  brutes  or  men."  I  said  this  in 
rather  an  excited  tone,  for  I  was  provoked  at  the  taunting  coarse 
ness  of  my  reception. 

The  Texan  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  clutching  at  his  belt,  said, 


81 

"  Look  here,  Kentuck,  I  don't  afiow  people  to  talk  to  me  in  that 
sort  of  a  way,  sir  !" 

The  lieutenant  here  interposed,  in  a  good-humored  manner, 
and  soon  restored  a  negative  sort  of  peace,  though  the  Texan  was 
surly  about  it  for  some  time. 

This  was  a  very  foolish  display  of  sensitiveness  on  my  part, 
which  a  little  further  knowledge  of  the  spirit  of  frontier  life  would 
have  saved  me  from.  He  did  not  mean  anything  more  than  a 
coarse  joke ;  and  my  dignified  flare-up  was  all  "  pearls  before 
swine  "  among  such  men,  which  I  felt  afterwards  was  a  little 
verdant,  and  out  of  keeping  with  the  tone  I  should  have  preserved 
under  circumstances  1  had  voluntarily  thrown  myself  into.  The 
truth  is,  I  was  fagged  and  out  of  spirits,  from  the  loss  of  the  whole 
night's  rest,  after  the  fatigues  and  suffering  of  the  day  before,  and 
oad  little  of  the  reckless  buoyancy  left,  which  was  necessary  to 
carry  me  without  difficulty  through  such  scenes.  I  dwell  upon 
his  little  incident,  because  it  was  characteristic,  and  the  reader 
will  see  that  I  afterwards  had  some  trouble  about  it.  When  we 
were  quieted  again,  and  got  to  work  upon  our  breakfast,  I  took  a 
good  look  at  the  new  comers. 

The  lieutenant,  as  they  called  him,  impressed  me  as  a  greasy, 
easy,  good-for-nothing  sort  of  a  somebody ;  while  Davis,  who 
was  a  thin,  athletic  person,  with  a  pale,  olive  complexion,  wore 
upon  his  sharp  face  that  keen,  restless,  knavish  look,  to  be 
in  the  presence  of  which,  makes  one  feel  fidgety.  There  was  a 
quick,  incessant  play  of  light  about  his  eyes  that  reminded  me  of 
a  snake's  tongue  vibrating  in  strong  sunshine. 

The  fellow  was  dressed  in  the  extreme  of  a  mongrel  dandyism, 
which  seemed  to  be  the  result  of  an  untiring  effort  to  unite  all  the 
exaggerations  of  all  the  costumes  he  had  ever  seen,  and  was  more 
of  a  hotch-potch  than-  even  the  equipage  of  his  horse.  His  coarse, 
black  hair,  plastered  with  lard  into  genuine  "  soap  locks,"  a  half. 
yard  in  length,  was  sticking  about  his  shoulders,  over  which  was 
thrown,  with  a  most  jaunty  air,  a  full-circle  cloak  of  coarse  blue 
cloth,  lined  down  the  fronts  with  flaming  scarlet  velvet,  which 
was  so  disposed  as  to  show  its  every  inch  ;  his  neckcloth  was  a 
coarse  silk  of  the  saiie  gaudy  color,  and  disposed  in  folds,  the 
amplitude  of  which  would  have  laid  the  Broadway  dandiei 


82 

altogether  in  the  shade  j  and,  in  point  of  jewelry,  he  could  have 
snapped  his  fingers  at  them  too,  so  far  as  number  was  concerned, 
at  least :  his  smutty  bosom  was  literally  studded  with  pins  and 
brooches  of  every  quality  and  size,  from  silver  and  tin  foil,  up 
to  pure  gold.  As  he  caught  my  eye  upon  him,  mistaking  its 
expression  for  admiration,  he  jumped  to  his  feet,  and  jerked  up 
his  sombrero, — banded  two-thirds  of  the  way  to  the  top  of  its 
sugar-loafed  crown  with  red  and  white  beads — and  setting  it 
pertly  awry  upon  his  stringy  locks,  with  arms  a-kimbo,  under-lip 
compressed,  and  eyebrows  puckered  into  an  expression  of  savage 
pomposity,  he  strutted  stiffly  out  to  and  fro  in  front  of  me.  I  could 
scarcely  avoid  bursting  into  a  hearty  fit  of  laughter,  as  he  recalled 
the  quaint  description  of  an  "  Old-Time  Euphuist,"  or  trans 
cendental  coxcomb  : 

Resplendent — glistening 
Like  Juno's  witless  Bird,  he  ruffled,  when 
Beneath  the  opening  portcullis  of  Morn 
He  strutted  back  and  forth — the  mimic  Argus 
Of  his  wide  tail  outspread,  that  he  might  sun 
The  tasselled  glories  of  his  shiny  head 
Within  its  hundred  eyes ! 

Oh,  it  was  rich  !  I  screwed  my  face  into  an  expression  of 
*atense  admiration.  This  went  to  his  heart,  and  stepping  in 
jront  of  me,  with  a  lordly  wave  of  his  hand,  that  fairly  glistened 
with  rings  of  every  metal  and  size,  he  addressed  me  with  a  loud 
nasal  twang  to  his  insolent  voice  : 

"  Seftor  Kentuck  !  I  have  been  a  great  traveller  !  Prodigious 
traveller !  I  have  seen  the  world,  Senor,  like  a  brave  man  !  I  have 
walked  over  bars  of  gold  !  and  have  tasted  all  there  is  in  it  a  gal 
lant  man  dare  taste  !  Yes,  Senor,  from  the  '  Pulque '  and  the 
*  Noyau J  of  the  dirty  '  Rancho  *  of  *  Dobeys '  and  logs,  to  the  flash 
ing  wines  in  the  marble  mansion  on  the  '  Hacienda '  of  a  Don  '— - 
from  the  dirty  calabash  of  a  naked  Indian,  to  a  silver  bowl  in  the 
palaces  of  Montezuma — I  have  drank  till  I  could  touch  it  with  my 
finger !  and  this  ain't  all  either ;  the  Sefioras  have  loved  me  in  all 
these  places  !  I  have  sucked  the  nectar  from  the  yellow  flowers  in 
jny  way  from  *  Tierra  Calliente,'  where  they  melted  to  a  look,  and 
died  away  to  my  touch,  up  to  '  Tierra  Fries/  where  their  frozen 


83 

bosoms  could  thaw  to  no  other  glance  than  mine !  and,  in  the  great 
Mexico  itself,  they  crowded  around  me  with  such  eagerness  that 
they  almost  tore  my  splendid  clothes  to  tatters,  and  I  had  to  draw  my 
stilttto  so,  to  keep  them  off!"  and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
he  whipped  it  out  and  flourished  it  with  wonderful  rapidity  before 
our  eyes.  "  Yes,  Seflo — " 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  Texas,  jumping  to  his  feet,  "  you  beat 
thunder  and  alligator  swallowing  all  hollow  !  You'll  die  off  into 
a  long  jackass  bray- — pewter  drops — cotton  velvet — glass  beads 
and  all,  if  you  don't  stop.  Blast  me,  you  are  worse  than  a 
Mexican  !" 

This  seemed  the  climax  of  contempt,  according  to  his  ideas  of 
the  force  of  expletives,  and  he  paused  for  breath,  looking  at  the 
fellow  with  the  most  ludicrous  expression  of  contempt. 

Davis  had  paused  at  the  interruption,  his  hand  still  holding  the 
stiletto  in  the  air.  He  had  listened,  at  first,  with  an  expression 
of  blank  astonishment,  that  anybody  should  dream  of  interrupting 
so  musical  a  flow  of  eloquence  ;  but  when  he  heard  his  finery 
talked  about  in  such  disrespectful  terms,  his  eyes  fairly  blazed 
again  with  malignant  ferocity,  and  there  was  a  very  devil's 
venomous  passion  in  his  whole  air  as  he  stood  for  an  instant 
gazing  at  the  Texan  after  he  got  through ;  then,  quickly  as 
the  spring  of  a  wild  cat,  threw  himself  convulsively  at  his 
unarmed  breast.  The  stiletto  must  strike  him  full  in  the  throat ! 
I  sprang  towards  them,  but  a  stronger  arm  was  upon  him  before, 
me.  Sooner  than  I  could  think,  he  was  lying  prostrate  and 
stunned  against  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  and  the  Colonel, 
with  his  knee  upon  his  breast,  was  wrenching  his  weapon  from 
his  hand,  when  the  lieutenant  and  myself  together,  succeeded 
in  arresting  his  arm. 

"  Damn  it,  let  go,  boys ;  we  will  have  to  kill  him  yet, 
anyhow !" 

The  Texan  here  interposed,  and  we  dragged  the  Colonel  off 
backwards. 

"  If  there's  any  killing,  I'll  do  it  myself!"  said  the  Texan,  as 
he  sprang  with  his  heavy  boot-heels  upon  the  chest  of  the 
prostrate  wretch.  Leaving  the  Colonel  to  recover  his  feet,  we 
ran  to  him  and  jerked  him  off,  telling  him  the  man  was  dead 


84 

already.  We  succeeded  after  great  difficulty  in  quieting  them, 
as  they  saw  that  the  man  yet  lay  perfectly  still.  I  threw  some 
water  in  his  face,  and  in  a  little  while  he  began  to  stir,  and  was 
shortly  on  his  feet  again,  for  he  was  only  stunned  :  he  staggered 
out  of  the  door,  and  vomited  a  quantity  of  blood  that  had  been 
started  byrthe  Texan's  heels,  while  he  stood  laughing  at  him  and 
enjoying  the  "-fun,"  as  he  called  it. 

The  man  came  sullenly  into  the  house  after  a  while,  half- 
doubled  up,  and  seeming  effectually  cowed  ;  his  head  muffled  in 
a  bandage  ;  his  finery  all  bedraggled  ;  his  vain-glory  all  gone  ; 
looking  as  I  have  seen  a  dung-hill  cock,  which  had  been  caught 
stealing  dough  in  the  kitchen,  and  been  thoroughly  ducked  in  the 
slop-tub  by  the  angry  old  black  cook,  and  which,  shaking  the 
bran  and  filth  from  its  eyes  and  stringy  feathers,  would  slink, 
with  a  doleful  air,  to  hide  its  diminished  head  in  a  corner  from 
the  gaze  of  its  dames,  till  its  glory  was  replenished. 

Could  some  of  those  "  Yellow  Flowers,"  the  neotar  from  whose 
lips  he  had  sucked,  have  seen  him  then  !  the  gay  ideal  of  their 
voluptuous  dreams,  skulking  in  a  corner,  the  "  shine "  rubbed 
off,  and  gore  and  dirt  smeared  in  its  place  ;  his  baubles  trampled, 
and  those  sleek,  flowing  locks,  clotted  and  confused  beneath  the 
ties  of  that  most  flaming  of  cravats ;  would  he  not  have  realized 
to  them, 

"  Cupid  hoodwinked  with  a  scarf, 
Bearing  a  Tartar's  painted  bow  of  lathe, 
Scaring  the  ladies  like  a  crow-keeper  1" 

Gentle  "  Yellow  Flowers  !"  your  fortunate  stars  have  spared 
you  this  rude  shock,  and  peacefully  their  mellow  beams  may  rain 
on  your  warm  brows  the  dew  of  visions ;  and  in  them  you  may 
still  undoubting  see  that  glowing  form,  with  all  the  gallant  show 
unmarred,  that  left  its  impress  on  your  hearts !  Blissful  igno 
rance  !  and  perhaps  all  you  will  hear  of  this  will  be  the  story  of 
a  triumph,  when,  on  some  sad-eyed  eve,  you  sit  beneath  the 
moss-hung  oak,  sighing  with  the  breeze  for  lack  of  warmer  sighs, 

"  To  take  the  amorous  echo  up," 
you  shall  hear  an  answer  to  your  hearts  in  his  exulting  shout  a* 


85 

he  comes  careering  across  the  plains  upon  his  sweltering  steed,  to 
dash  the  gory  trophies  of  his  vengeance  at  your  feet ! 

Even  now  he  seems  to  be  forging  the  silent  thunder  of  revenge  ! 
I  can  perceive  that  the  malignant  fiend  has  not  been  exorcised  by 
any  means,  with  all  the  truculent  efforts  of  these  two  rugged 
"  clerks  of  the  green- wood,"  who  have  taken  the  matter  in  hand ; 
for  as  he  sits  crouched  in  the  corner,  I  can  see  the  red  light  of 
hate  direly  gleaming  from  his  eyes,  like  two  burning  coals  from  a 
dark  hearth,  as  he  watches  the  movements  of  his  late  assaulters 
about  the  room.  I  shall  look  for  terrible  results  ere  the  ghost  of 
his  honor  be  appeased ! 

And  now,  fair  daughters  of  the  North,  how  do  you  fancy  this 
"  Mercutio"  of  the  sunny  South  ?  At  the  bare  recital  of  this 
Protean  versatility  of  attraction,  will  you  not  own  the  "  soft 
impeachment  ?"  Come,  no  coy  airs ;  confess  it  frankly— ^-at  even 
the  rough  sketch  of  a  hero  so  exquisitely  "just  the  thing" — that 
the  delicious  fluttering  tumult  at  your  hearts  has  waked  "  the 
silent  war  of  lilies  and  of  roses"  in  a  Parthian  fight,  careering 
up  from  your  warm  bosoms,  over  your  "  silver  cheeks,"  and 
breaking  in  red  spray  beneath  the  azure  veiling  of  your  temples  ? 
Acknowledge  that  you  are  desperately  taken,  not  for  my  sake, 
but  for  the  sake  of  the  dandies  at  home  j  for  how  can  they  sur- 
vive  it,  should  I,  in  pursuance  of  my  duty  as  the  nearest  repre 
sentative  of  this  gallant  Mexican  "  Euphuist,"  be  compelled  to 
assign  you  "  a  local  habitation"  in  the  "  Tierra  Fries,"  that  arctic 
realm  of  "  frozen  bosoms  ?"  You  are  difficult  enough  of  assault 
now,  and  home  dandies  have  not  the  fiery  glance  of  our  "  Euphu 
ist"  to  thaw  icebergs !  and  furthermore,  upon  this  same  dreadful 
penalty,  dare  not  institute  unfair  comparisons  between  him  and 
our  "domestic  manufacture."  For  though  my  client 

"  Cannot  sing, 

Nor  lieel  the  high  lavolt,  nor  sweeten  talk, 
Nor  play  at  subtle  games — fair  virtues  all 
To  which  the  Grecians  are  most  prompt  and  pregnant," 

I.e.  "  Corinthians"  of  Broadway ! — though  he  may  not  be  pos 
sessed  of  "  the  still  and  dumb  discursive  devil"  that  lurks  in  these, 
yet  his  is  a  matchless  fling  at  a  "  fandango,"  and  he  can  swing 


80 

the  dark-eyed  daughters  of  the  Sun,1  to  the  merry  click  of  the 
Castanet,  with  most  voluptuous  grace,  through  many  a  tangled, 
quaint,  and  winding  measure,  which  they,  with  all  the  aid  of 
"  dancing  shoes  with  nimble  soles,"  would  have  found  it  impossi 
ble  to  foot  it  through.  We  must  leave  him  in  eclipse  for  a  little 
while,  to  go  on  with  our  story. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


A     MEXICAN     WAR    HORSE. 

now  came  another  scene  of  ludicrous  bluster  and  confu 
sion.  A  Mexican  scout  had  returned  and  reported  a'large  body 
of  Indians  camped  on  the  Medina ;  thus  confirming  the  report 
brought  in  by  Davis.  We  must  go  and  rout  them ;  but  how  to 
get  there  was  the  puzzle  !  The  Texan  had  recovered  his  horse, 
but  the  Colonel,  myself,  and  the  Lieutenant  had  none.  We  could 
not  get  them  of  the  Mexicans,  and  should  we  have  to  foot  it  the 
fifteen  miles  ? 

While  we  were  debating  this  perplexing  question — every  man 
talking  to  himself  and  all  together — the  remnant  of  yesterday's 
"party  galloped  up.  They  had  concluded  by  this  time  that  it  was 
best  to  have  us  along ;  not  that  they  could  not  exterminate  the 
enemy  to-day  as  they  had  yesterday  by  their  unassisted  valor ! 
No ;  forbid  it,  shades  of  Montezumas,  Aztecs,  and  Castilians  all ! 
By  their  united  glories  they  needed  not  our  arms !  But  they 
pitied  us,  seeing  that  we  would  go  if  we  had  to  walk ;  and  felt  a 
generous  sympathy  kindle  in  their  warrior  breasts  at  witnessing 
our  ardor ;  so  that  they  had  brought  led-horses  for  us. 

And  there  was  Antone  again — the  brazen  knave  bragging 
with  as  obstreperous  impudence  as  ever ;  though  he  kept  a  little 
back  and  a  slArp  eye  about  him  this  time,  for  the  Texan — but 
this  only  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  talk  the  louder.  As  his. 
character  of  privilege  as  boaster  and  spokesman-general  seemed 
to  be  conceded,  even  the  bloody  veterans  of  yesterday  sat  quietly 
and  listened  while  he  made  speeches  for  therji,  expressing  in  super* 
grandiloquence  the  sense  they  entertained  of  their  own  magnani* 


88 

mous  generosity,  in  thus  furnishing  us  gratuitously  with  the  means 
of  sharing  with  them  on  equal  terms  the  flowering  laurels  they 
were  about  to  gain. 

After  this  peroration,  they  opened  their  ranks,  and  led  out  for 
our  admiration  the  steeds  they  had  brought  us.  Oh  Mars  !  hadst 
thou  belonged  to  the  mythology  of  Mexico,  they  would  have  made 
thee  all  legs  !  The  horses  they  rode  themselves  were  nimble  and 
active  animals,  while  those  they  offered  us  were  the  veriest 
starved,  worn,  ulcerated,  miserable  anatomies  that  can  be  con 
ceived — looking  as  though  their  legs  could  hardly  totter  under  the 
raw  and  wretched  sack  of  bones  which  made  up  their  shrivelled 
bodies.  It  appeared  that  they  were  three  pack-horses  the  Coman- 
ches  had  left  behind  them  as  useless  in  their  passage  through  our 
"  bottom."  I  turned  off  in  angry  despair,  while  the  Colonel  and 
Lieutenant  selected  the  two  best,  determined  to  make  the  most 
of  it. 

Just  at  this  moment,  a  Mexican  woman  came  running  to  us  with 
the  information  that  she  had  noticed  a  number  of  wolves  prowling 
about  a  low  thicket,  a  few  hundred  yards  off.  The  Comanches 
had  passed  through  it  as  they  were  approaching  to  attack  us  the 
morning  before,  and  she  supposed  they  had  left  a  dead  body  there, 
for  the  wolves  looked  so  bold  and  eager — as  they  always  do  where 
a  human  body  is  concerned — that  she  had  been'afraid  to  go  her 
self  to  see  what  it  was,  but  that  they  were  tearing  and  fighting 
over  something  on  the  ground  she  could  distinguish  very  plainly. 
We  determined  to  leave  the  dispute  about  the  horses  and  see  what 
this  meant. 

The  Mexicans  charged  with  headlong  rashness  and  shouts  down 
upon  the  thicket,  and  five  or  six  wolves  actually  scurried  out,  with 
tails  between  their  legs,  looking  a  good  deal  frightened.  They 
were  so  much  exhilarated  at  this  success,  that  they  kept  on  after 
the  wolves  to  let  off  their  surplus  valor  in  imagining  them  Indians 
flying  before  their  arms,  while  we  went  into  the  thicket,  where  a 
most  revolting  sight  met  our  view.  A  spot,  several  yards  in  cir 
cumference,  was  trampled  into  a  black,  bloody  mire,  strewed  with 
white  hair,  torn  clothes,  and  the  fragments  of  what  we  saw  had 
been  the  body  of  an  American  boy.  There  was  the  head  torn  by 
the  neck  out  from  the  shoulders,  one-half  the  faoe  eaten  away, 


A  spot  several  yards  in  circumference,  was  trampled  into  a  black,  bloody  mire 
strewed  with  white  hair,  torn  clothes,  and  the  fragments  of  what  we  saw  had  been 
the  body  of  an  American  boy.— PAGH  88. 


89 

and  the  marks  of  ravenous  teeth  scratched  in  white  lines  across 
the  skull ;  here,  the  bare  ribs ;  there,  the  legs  torn  from  their 
sockets  and  stripped  of  flesh,  except  one  on  which  a  stocking  still 
remained ;  and  when  it  was  pulled  off,  there  was  the  pale  foot 
with  its  livid  nails,"  entire — and  the  flaxen  hair,  clotted  into  locks, 
as  the  bloody  brutes  had  shaken  its  tangles  from  their  fangs,  clung 
about  the  bones  and  to  the  shrubs  around,  whose  broken  twigs  and 
red  stains  bore  witness  to  the  wild  struggle  that  had  so  dismem 
bered  it. 

I  was  absolutely  sickened  by  the  horrid  sight,  and  even  the  rude 
men  around  me  were  subdued  and  touched ;  even  the  Colonel's 
voice  sank  into  low  tones  of  something  like  sadness,  as  he  ordered 
a  Mexican  to  bring  a  mattock  ;  and  we  went  reverently  to  work 
according  to  his  directions,  to  gather  up  the  scattered  fragments 
and  heap  them  together  for  the  grave.  By  turns  we  took  the 
mattock  and  silently  dug  away  at  the  rude  hole.  That  he  was  an 
American  boy  was  all  we  knew,  and  this  was  enough  for  our  sym 
pathies.  That  he  had  been  killed  by  the  Comanches  we  were 
convinced  from  parts  of  his  clothing,  in  which  we  could  discover 
plainly  the  cut  of  a  lance  head,  and  this  was  enough  to  occupy 
us  with  stern  thoughts  of  vengeance. 

The  hasty  grave  was  finished,  and  the  bones  laid  decently  in 
such  order  as  we  could  into  it,  and  the  dirt,  wet  with  his  own 
blood,  thrown  in  upon  them.  Dust  to  dust,  poor  boy !  yours  was 
a  hideous  fate  indeed  !  We  then  collected  logs  from  every  direc 
tion,  and  heaped  them  in  a  great  pile  upon  the  grave,  to  keep  the 
wolves  from  digging  the  bones  up  with  their  paws,  and  turned  to 
go  back — all  parties  more  thoroughly  sobered  than  I  should  have 
thought  it  possible  for  such  men  to  be. 

A  Mexican  from  the  madam's  rancho,  and  on  foot,  here  joined 
us ;  he  told  us  that  the  Comanches  had  done  a  great. deal  of  mis 
chief  before  they  reached  us.  In  addition  to  a  number  of  other 
murders,  they  had  come  suddenly  upon  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Black,  who  lived  some  twenty  miles  off,  when  he  was  ploughing 
in  the  field.  He  was  holding  tha  plough-handles,  while  his  son, 
about  thirteen  years  of  age,  drove  the  oxen.  The  Indians  were 
nearly  on  him  before  he  saw  them.  He  seized  his  little  son  by 
the  hand  and  ran  for  life  towards  the  house,  where  his  rifle  was. 

8* 


90 

The  Indians  were  so  close  upon  him,  that  in  the  hurry  the 
little  boy  fell  and  broke  the  hold  of  his  father's  hand  ;  he  looked 
back,  and  saw  that  if  he  stopped  an  instant  to  regain  him,  their 
lances  would  be  into  him — they  were  already  standing  in  their 
stirrups  to  launch  them — so  he  kept  on,  hoping  to  get  his  rifle  in 
time  to  rescue  him.  He  sprang  into  his  house,  and  one  of  them 
was  in  such  eager  pursuit  that,  before  he  could  check  his  head 
way,  his  horse  ran  its  head  into  the  door,  and  had  nearly  pitched 
its  rider  head-foremost  into  it.  Before  he  could  recover  himself, 
Black  had  dashed  out  his  brains  with  his  rifle.  He  then  sprang 
into  the  saddle  of  the  Indian,  maddened  with  a  father's  agony  as 
he  saw  the  rest  of  the  party  making  off  at  full  speed  with  his 
child — for  only  the  single  one  had  followed  him  after  he  dropped 
his  boy.  One  of  them,  lifting  the  boy  on  the  point  of  his  lance 
by  the  clothes,  had  set  him  behind  another,  and  they  then  had 
wheeled  and  cleared  out,  seeing,  probably,  what  would  be  the 
result  of  the  affair  with  Black. 

The  poor  man  saw  they  had  greatly  the  start  of  him,  but  he 
gave  chase  alone  with  the  desperation  of  frantic  hope ;  and 
frantic  it  proved  to  be,  for  they  outstripped  him  far  enough,  and 
he  soon  lost  sight  of  them.  He  then  turned  and  made  for  Bexar, 
to  get  Hays's  Rangers,  in  the  hope  that  he  should  be  able  to  in 
tercept  them  before  they  reached  the  hills. 

"Ah !"  said  the  Colonel,  "  this  is  the  son  of  poor  Black  we  have 
just  buried  !  A  most  unfortunate  man  he  has  been  !  This  .is 
the  second  son  he  has  had  killed  within  the  year,  and  is  the  last 
of  his  family.  He's  a  brave  man,  but  has  been  foolish  in  always 
living  where  nobody  else  would  dare  to  live  ;  he  was  living  in 
just  such  a  place  when  his  other  boy  was  killed. 

"  Black  had  a  very  fine  horse,  and  the  boy  was  riding  it  after 
cattle,  when  one  of  Agatone's,  men,  who  had  been  lurking  about 
to  steal  it  for  several  days,  waylaid  the  boy,  shot  him,  and  took 
the  horse.  When  he  was  going  to  live  in  this  place,  I  tried  to 
persuade  him  not,  but  to  come  and  live  nearer  to  me ;  but  he 
would  do  it !  He's  a  strange,  wild  sort  of  man.  They  say 
his  wife,  that  he  loved  very  much,  was  killed  by  the  Mexicans, 
tnd  that  Agatone  had  something  to  do  with  it, — and  the  poor  fel» 


91 

iOW  has  been  a  little  cracked  ever  since  !  but  I  don't  pity  a  man 
much  who  would  let  the  death  of  a  woman  crack  his  brain  !" 

Faugh !  I  felt  as  if  I  could  ram  the  butt  of  my  gun  into  his 
mouth  for  the  utterance  of  so  coarse  a  thought ;  but  I  remem 
bered  the  scene  at  breakfast  with  the  Texan,  and  held  my  peace. 
Such  a  commest  was  sacrilegious,  upon  a  story  which,  uncon 
sciously  to  him,  was  a  most  touching  one.  I  felt  a  deep  and 
sadder  interest  f9r  the  man  at  once.  Such  a  grief  was  that  of  a 
strong  nature — haunting  him  out  from  all  social  ties,  to  live  in  the 
constant  presence  of  dangers  which  appalled  other  men,  that  he 
might  dedicate  his  solitary  life  to  past  memories  and  vengeance. " 
Truly  was  it  a  piteous  fate  to  see  thus  cut  off,  one  after  another, 
the  only  living  bonds  between  that  love  and  the  deep  oblivion  of 
death !  This  man  is  an  instance  among  many  others,  of  the 
strange,  passionate  eccentrics  to  be  jnet  with  on  this  frontier. 

"  But,  Colonel,"  said  I,  "  if  this  be  the  son  of  Black,  why 
should  the  Indians  have  brought  him  all  this  distance  to  kill  him, 
if  they  intended  to  do  it  ?" 

"  Oh !  they  didn't  intend  to  do  it  when  they  brought  him  off; 
they  don't  often  kill  white  children  when  they  can  get  them  away. 
They  adopt  the  boys,  and  make  warriors  of  them,  and  value 
them  very  highly,  for  a  number  of  their  most  distinguished  war 
chiefs  were  stolen  in  this  way  ;  but  for  the  girls  they  care  little : 
they  take  them  if  it  is  convenient,  and  if  it  isn't,  they  seldom  kill 
them.  They  don't  make  wives  of  them,  but  merely  slaves. 
They  have  so  great  contempt  for  the  Mexicans,  though,  that  they 
usually  kill  them — man,  woman,  and  child.  They  never  per 
mit  a  white  boy  to  be  rescued ;  and  if  there  is  any  probability  of 
this,  they  invariably  kill  him. 

"  I  suppose  the  way  this  thing  happened  was,  that  the  Indian 
with  the  boy  behind  him  was  in  the  rear,  and  the  boy  hearing 
the  guns,  and  thinking  that  friends  were  near,  jumped  off  and 
attempted  to  run  for  it,  and  the  Indian  struck  his  lance  into  him 
and  left  him.  It  is  a  settled  point  with  them  always  to  do  this  ; 
for  they  consider  that  if  the  boy  escapes  them,  he  will  become  a 
white  warrior ;  but  if  they  kill  him,  it  is  one  future  enemy  out 
of  the  way !" 


92 

1  had  afterwards  an  opportunity  of  seeing  this  savage  trait 
more  clearly  illustrated.  The  whole  party  were  now  assembled 
at  the  blocks  of  the  picketing,  armed  and  mounting,  "  in  hot 
haste,"  for  the  Indian  fight ;  and  when  everybody  else  was  un< 
der  way,  I  found  myself  beside  the  most  disconsolate,  wo-begone 
looking  beast  that  ever  it  was  my  fortune  to  put  eyes  upon. 
Rosinante  was  an  over-fed,  high-conditioned  steed  compared  with 
him.  A  starved  buzzard  would  have  scorned  to  pick  his  lean 
ribs,  and  a  hungry  wolf's  tooth  could  have  hardly  scraped  any 
thing  but  hair,  hide,  and  tendon  from  his  hams ;  and  there  was 
a  great  disgusting  sore  on  his  back.  But  what  was  I  to  do  ? 
My  feet  were  still  too  tender  and  full  of  thorns  to  think  of  walk 
ing.  My  pride  would  not  permit  me  to  stay  behind,  and  the  only 
resource  left  was  to  make  the  best  of  this  wretched  creature.  1 
felt  my  conscience  twinge  me  hard  as  the  poor  animal  groaned 
when  I  mounted  the  saddle.  The  Lieutenant  came  back  and 
gave  me  a  "  quirt,"  assuring  me  that  there  was  a  wonderful  out- 
come  in  all  these  horses,  and  that  I  had  only  to  ply  it  well  to 
make  my  steed  do  all  I  wished — that  I  could  easily  keep  up  until 
we  got  to  the  Comanche  camp,  and  then  I  could  win  a  horse 
for  myself. 

This  all  chimed  so  well  with  my  own  wishes,  that  1  commenced 
plying  the  heavy  whip  upon  the  sounding  ribs  of  my  steed  ;  and 
as  his  unexpectedly  brisk  movement  brought  me  up  with  the 
company  very  soon,  I  began  to  conceive  that  his  miserable 
looks  were  all  a  deception,  and  to  feel  entirely  merciless,  as  1 
conceived  he  had  been  playing  "  possum  "  with  me  in  assuming 
them.  The  whole  of  this  I  was  very  anxious  to  believe,  and 
that  the  saddle,  though  it  rested  upon  that  huge  sore  on  his  back, 
did  not  h-urt  him  in  reality,  but  that  somehow  or  other  he  had  got 
used  to  it. 

Pardon  me,  gentle  reader,  for  this  cruel  sophistry  !  But  you 
must  consider  that,  in  this  frontier  life,  all  depends  upon  your 
being  positively  in  it,  when  a  fight  occurs,  for  nobody  takes  the 
trouble  to  consider  the  "impossibility  of  your  getting  there.  If 
you  are  not  there  your  reputation  suffers.  I  felt  all  this,  though 
I  felt,  too,  every  lash  I  gave  the  poor  horse  cut  into  my  con. 
•cience.  But  after  going  a  few  miles,  neither  laihing  nor  any. 


98 

thing  else  would  avail,  for  out  of  a  walk  he  could  not  nor  would 
net  go. 

The  Colonel  and  all  parties,  who  had  been  rather  laughing  at 
my  ridiculous  position  before,  now  seriously  advised  that  I  should 
go  back,  as  it  was  plain  the  horse  could  not  hold  out.  But  I  was 
excited,  and  determined  to  go  on  and  see  this  affair  out  at  any 
rate  ;  so  I  turned  my  poor  steed  loose  when  I  found  he  could  not 
answer  to  the  heaviest  strokes  I  gave  him,  and  determined  to  keep 
up  on  foot. 

Several  of  them,  seeing  that  go  I  would,  proposed  that  I-  should 
"  ride  and  tie  "  with  "them  in  turn.  I  was  now  comparatively 
comfortable,  and  had  time  to  survey  the  party  more  critically. 
Antone,  bearing  aloft  a  Comanche  lance,  rode  valorously  at  the 
head  of  the  party,  and,  much  to  my  astonishment,  next  to  him 
came  Davis  our  "Euphuist ;"  who  had  rejuvenated  his  glories, 
and  looked  as  splendid  and  gay  as  ever;  and,  like  his  peer 
Antone,  carried  simply  a  lance  for  his  weapon — scorning,  no 
doubt,  in  his  chivalry,  to  take  advantage  of  superior  knowledge 
in  fighting  the  poor  barbarians  with  his  own  weapons.  He  and 
Antone  seemed  to  be  engaged  in  a  bragging  match,  from  the  loud 
ring  of  their  voices.  Next  to  them  followed  the  Mexicans,  eager 
for  the  fray. 

Thinking  it  about  time  we  should  be  approaching  the  Medina, 
I  took  advantage  of  this  gallant  confidence,  to  secure  my  turn  on 
horseback,  of  one  of  the  heroes,  who  had  promised  me  that  I 
should  ride  his  horse.  But  as  we  approached  a  portion 
of  the  road,  skirted  on  each  side  by  thick  and  scrubby  under 
growth,  which  prevented  our  seeing  far,  and  the  timber  before 
us  began  to  thicken  and  look  tall  like  that  bordering  upon  a 
stream,  I  began  to  notice  that  the  nimble  horses  of  the  Mexicans 
grew  suddenly  amazingly  sluggish,  and  I  perceived  myself  to 
be  passing  them  one  after  another,  although  my  horse  was  walk 
ing  slowly  ;  and  when  at  last  there  was  a  cry  ahead  of  us, 
"  There  they  are  !"  I  came  near  to  being  run  over  and  trampled 
by  the  sagacious  and  politic  Antone  hurrying  back  to  bring  up 
the  lagging  rear.  He  was  pouring  out  eloquent  and  voluble  ex- 
hortations  to  them  to  remember  the  glories  of  their  ancestry,  and 
deport  themselves  worthily  of  their  high  descent ;  while  Davi% 


94 

on  the  other  side,  was  gesticulating  furiously,  and  talking  louder 
than  Antone,  though  a  little  ahead  of  even,  him,  in  his  anxiety  to 
bring  up  the  very  last  of  the  dastardly  loiterers ;  and  when  they 
got  clear  to  the  rear,  they  took  up  their  positions  there — lances 
in  rest — seemingly  determined  that  no  coward  should  fly,  but 
back  upon  their  points.  My  Mexican  became  now  very  clamor 
ous  for  his  horse :  this  I  took  occasion  to  quietly  disregard. 

Seeing  things  so  well  secured  in  the  rear,  and  finding  myself, 
by  this  sudden  change  of  the  order  of  march,  pushed  on  to  the 
front  with  my  three  friends,  I  looked  out  with  some  curiosity,  not 
to  say  anxiety,  upon  our  perspective.  We  were  about  two 
hundred  yards  from  the  narrow  skirt  of  timber  on  the  creek,  and 
between  the  trunks  of  the  trees  I  could  see  all  the  indications  of 
a  large  encampment,  in  dark,  half-naked  men  hurrying  their 
horses  together  from  the  prairie,  while  others  were  hastily 
mounting.  The  Colonel  gave  the  command  to  halt,  and  ordered 
us  to  see  to  our  guns  for  an  instant,  and  then  raising  himself  ir. 
his  stirrup,  shouted,  "  Come,  boys,  let's  into  'em  !" 

We  were  about  fifty  paces  from  the  timber,  which  was  about 
the  same  distance  in  width,  and  we  had  to  charge  through  it, 
before  we  were  upon  the  enemy,  who  were  gathered  in  a 
confused  mass  a  little  distance  beyond  it.  On  we  went,  helter- 
skelter  ;  and  when  we  came  through,  all  glowing  with  the  ardor 
of  battle,  what  was  our  astonishment  to  see  the  Colonel,  who  led 
us,  draw  up  his  steed  suddenly,  and  shout  to  a  warrior,  who  came 
galloping  to  meet  him,  with  a  grin  of  delight  on  his  sooty  face, 
"  Why,  how  are  you,  Castro  ?  We  had  like  to  have  been  into 
you,  old  fellow  ! — we  thought  you  were  all  Comanches !" 

And  who  was  Castro  ?  And  what  nation  were  they  of— this 
swarthy  troop — with  whom  the  Colonel  had  so  unexpectedly 
claimed  acquaintance  ?  It  was,  indeed,  a  wild-looking  crew. 
The  dark,  gaunt,  fierce-eyed  fellows,  came  crowding  eagerly 
around  us ;  some  of  them  not  fully  mounted,  clinging  on  by  one 
leg  and  hand,  as  they  spurred  their  horses  into  the  rush  ;  others, 
not  mounted  at  all,  dragged  their  unwilling  steeds  by  the  lariat 
bending  forward  low,  in  the  hurry ;  while  those  fairly  up,  shook 
their  bows  and  lances,  tossing  their  arms  in  strange  gyrations,  and 


95 

galloped  to  us  from  every  direction,  clamoring  their  salutation! 
to  the  Colonel  with  all  their  lungs. 

Jt  was  a  savage  welcome,  with  a  vengeance !  noisy,  extrava 
gant,  grotesque !  The  appearance  of  their  camp  was  quite  in 
keeping.  For  thirty  or  forty  paces  on  all  sides,  the  ground  was 
strewed  with  heaps  of  buffalo-robes,  coils  of  raw-hide  lassoes, 
bridles,  bows,  quivers  with  their  arrows  half  emptied  out,  shields, 
skins  filled  with  parched  wheat,  moccasins,  bead  pouches,  fringed 
leggins,  quirts,  horse-tails,  and  every  other  conceivable  sort  of 
quaint,  barbarous  fixture. 

The  warriors  themselves  were  not  the  least  curious  part  of  the 
scene — their  persons  naked  to  the  clout  and  leggins,  with 
bright  ornaments  of  silver,  in  bands,  around  the  wrists  and  neck 
—crescents,  stars,  and  curious  devices,  pendent  from  their  ears 
and  from  their  platted  hair,  making  the  "darkness  visible" 
of  their  sooty  skins,  more  emphatic  by  the  contrast.  Most 
of  them  rode  what  are  called  "  paint  horses ;"  that  is,  the 
mustang,  spotted  with  all  the  deeper  colors  on  a  milk-white 
ground. 

And  as  I  looked  around  upon  this  hideous,  yelling  mass, 
swaying  to  and  fro  about  us — their  gay  feathers,  long  lances, 
white  shields,  dark  bodies,  and  gleaming  eyes — tossed  and  mingled 
in  the  strangest  confusion  by  the  plunging  of  their  mottled  steeds, 
it  realized  perfectly  to  me  one  of  those  vague  dreams  of  wild  and 
savage  romance,  which  had  been  haunting  my  brain  since 
childhood : 

"  And  thousand  iiintasies 
Begin  to  throng  my  memory 
Of  calling  shapes  and  beckoning  shadows  dire." 

It  was  soon  demonstrated  that  we  had  something  more  than 
"  beckoning  shadows"  to  deal  with  in  this  case  ;  for  they  almost 
trampled  us  under  foot — man  and  horse — in  the  first  place,  and 
then  they  nearly  dragged  us  from  our  seats  in  their  unreckoning 
eagerness  to  have  us  get  down  and  partake  of  their  hospi 
talities. 

I  had  by  this  time  become  so  much  hardened  to  miracles,  that 
I  quietly  submitted  to  everything  that  turned  up ;  though  I  was 


96 

in  the  most  perfect  ignorance  all  the  while  what  it  meant.  Not 
so  with  the  Texan.  He  had  his  gun  almost  to  his  face  when  the 
sudden  recognition  took  place  ;  and  though  he  did  not  quite  pull 
the  trigger,  he  held  it  still  in  the  position  for  firing — turning  his 
head  quickly  from  side  to  side,  with  a  chafed,  bewildered  look, 
as  the  Indians  dashed  up  on  every  quarter.  He  could  not  stand 
the  puzzle  any  longer,  and,  with  a  furious  oath,  shouted  to  th« 
Colonel  4 

"  Tell  me  who  these  black  devils  are,  or  I'll  let  into  'em  *" 

"  Li  pans,  man  !  They  are  the  Lipans— our  friends  !  Castro, 
and  all  of  Jem,  are  old  cronies  of  mine  !  Keep  your  thunder  for 
another  time  !  Look  at  them  Mexicans,  will  you  ?" 

We  turned  our  heads.  There  they  were — the  blood-stained 
veterans  !  about  a  hundred  yards  off — just  rallied  from  the  flight 
they  had  commenced — Antone  and  Davis  now  at  the  head  again ! 
Here  they  come !  They  see  there  is  to  be  no  fight,  and  their 
valorous  captains  are  leading  them  down  with  fierce  shouts, 
clattering  their  weapons  as  though  they  intended  chopping  us  to 
mince-meat.  Nobody  stirred  to  stop  their  headlong  career,  as 
they  expected  ;  so  they  were  under  the  disagreeable  necessity  of 
halting  very  suddenly  themselves,  some  ten  paces  off,  to  ask  the 
meaning  of  it  all.  This  was  done  in  a  very  savage,  threatening 
manner,  by  their  two  ferocious  leaders ;  both  blustering  and 
growling  at  once,  determined  to  make  us  all  feel,  by  their  surly 
obtuseness  in  understanding  any  explanation  of  the  thing,  how 
much  we  had  escaped  in  being  able  to  ward  off  their  terrible 
exterminating  charge.  Castro  and  his  warriors  looked  at  them 
for  a  moment  in  contemptuous  silence.  The  chief  then  turned  to 
us  with  a  grin. 

"  Booh  !  booh !"  said  he  ;  "  who  them  scare  ?  The  rats  in  the 
sand  ?" 

We  all  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh  at  this  ;  while  the  Mexicans, 
seeing  their  sputter  was  "  no  go,"  came  crowding  in  among  us 
with  obstreperous  expressions  of  delight.  Even  the  Achillean 
wrath  of  Antone  and  Davis  was  appeased  at  last ;  changing,  by 
slow  and  dignified  degrees,  from  a  scowl  to  a  grin.  They  were 
Boon  launched — each  for  himself— into  a  formal  oration :  in  which 
they  congratulated  Castro  upon  the  lucky  escape  he  had  made  in 


He  even  forgot  his  old  enemy,  the  Texan,  so  intensely  was  he  absorbed  in  bearing 
down  poor  Castro  to  the  very  earth  by  the  torrent  of  his  eloquence  ;  when,  suddenly, 
a  lance  from  that  same  merciless  hand  was  so  sharply  thrust  Into  his  posterior,  that 
the  pain  caused  him  to  make  a  convulsive  spring  which  carried  him  over  his  horse's 
head,  and  landed  him  most  ignominiously  on  his  nose,  in  the  kurrow  of  a  sand-rat, 
amidst  a  simultaneous  roar  of  laughter,  in  which  even  the  stoical  warriors  joined.— 
PAGE  97. 


97 

giving  the  explanation  just  in  time  to  save  himself  and  party  from 
being  overwhelmed  by  the  hot-headed  impetuosity  of  their 
heroes.  They  shook  before  his  eyes  the  lances  which  had 
been  taken  from  the  rash  and  unlucky  Comanches,  and  showed 
how  they  had  been  bent  like  reeds  before  the  tempest-track  of 
the  wrath  they  had  provoked.  They  were  then  winding  up  by 
Impressing  upon  him,  in  reiterations,  the  high  sense  of  gratitude  he 
ought  to  entertain  and  express  towards  the  "  Blessed  Virgin,"  for 
her  rnercy  in  permitting  him  to  come  under  the  shadow  of  their 
formidable  power  as  allies;  not  leaving  him  and  his  nation  exposed, 
as  the  wretched  and  outcast  Comanches  were,  to  the  tornadoes  of 
Mexican  ire  !  This  rather  capped  the  climax  of  any  display  I 
had  yet  witnessed  of  the  surprising  powers  of  Master  Antone. 

Just  picture  to  yourself  the  tall,  erect,  and  martial  form  of  the 
Indian  warrior;  and  then,  a  few  paces  in  front  of  him,  the  shrivelled 
figure  of  Antone,  standing  in  his  stirrups,  leaning  forward,  in  his 
eagerness,  over  the  horse's  neck ;  his  hat  off,  his  lean,  yellow 
face  upturned,  his  chin  and  long  sharp  nose  pointing  to  the 
zenith,  his  little  black  eyes  glowing,  his  wide  mouth  clattering 
like  a  mill-clapper,  every  sentence 

"  A  bombast  circumstance, 
Horribly  stuffed  with  epithets  of  war," 

enforced  by  his  rapid  gesticulation ;  changing  the  lance'  from  one 
hand  to  the  other ;  now  making  it  sing  again,  as  he  whirled  it  in 
the  air ;  now  striking  it  fiercely  against  the  saddle.  He  even 
forgot  his  old  enemy,  the  Texan,  so  intensely  was  he  absorbed  in 
bearing  down  poor  Castro  to  the  very  earth  by  the  torrent  of  his 
eloquence ;  when,  suddenly,  a  lance  from  that  same  merciless 
hand  was  so  sharply  thrust  into  his  posterior,  that — biting  a 
word  in  two — the  pain  caused  him  to  make  a  convulsive  spring 
which  carried  him  over  his  horse's  head,  and  landed  him  most 
ignominiously  on  his  nose,  in  the  burrow  of  a  sand-rat,  amidst  a 
simultaneous  roar  of  laughter,  in  which  even  the  stoical  warriors 
joined. 

Davis  retreated  very  suddenly ;  and  as  the  chop- fallen  knave 
gathered  himself  up,  sputtering  the  blood  and  sand  from  his  mouth, 

9 


98 

and  slunk  off  to  the  water  to  repair  damages,  he  was  followed  by 
reiterated  peals.  I  thought  Texas  would  go  into  actual  con 
vulsions  :  he  slid  from  his  horse  and  rolled  upon  the  grass  in  a 
perfect  spasm  of  merriment ;  and  the  Colonel^  I  think,  approached 
nearer  to  the  verge  of  a  genuine  laugh,  than  I  ever  saw  him 
before  or  afterwards.  The  Indians  enjoyed  it  highly,  though 
laughing  is  not  a  national  amusement  with  them ;  but  they 
entered  into  the  whole  spirit  of  the  thing  ;  for  they  were  brave, 
shrewd  men,  and  felt,  perhaps,  a  more  unmitigated  contempt  for 
the  Mexicans  than  even  we  did. 

The  hubbub  of  merriment  subsided,  we  yielded  to  the  solici 
tations  of  Castro  and  dismounted.  Buffalo-rugs  were  spread  on 
the  ground,  and  we  were  very  promptly  seated  in  comfort,  and 
feasting  with  these  men  we  had  been  so  near  a  fatal  collision  with 
a  few  moments  before.  They  had  built  no  fires,  for  fear  the 
smoke  might  betray  them  to  the  Comanches,  of  whose  presence 
in  the  country  they  were  aware.  Our  repast  was  light,  simple, 
and  nutritious  ;  such  as  the  southern  Indians  always  carry  with 
them  on  their  expeditions.  It  consisted  merely  of  dried  beef  and 
venison  pounded  up  fine,  that  it  might  occupy  as  little  space  as 
possible  in  their  packs,  and  Mexican  wheat,  parched  and  then 
coarsely  ground  between  two  stones.  This  last  we  mixed  with 
water  from  the  river  and  drank.  This  food  is  highly  nutritious, 
and  easily  carried ;  and  the  Indians  will  endure  immense  hard 
ships,  for  a  long  time,  on  it  alone.  The  necessities  of  their  wild 
helter-skelter  lives  have  taught  them  to  settle  down  upon  the  two 
articles,  of  all  others,  used  by  man  for  food,  which  analytical 
chemistry  has  taught  us  to  contain  the  greatest  amount  of 
alimentary  matter  compressible  into  the  smallest  space. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  men  will  endure  a  greater  amount  of 
fatigue,  and  for  a  greater  length  of  time,  on  this  than  on  any 
other  known  diet.  The  hunters,  trappers,  and  Indians,  all  agree 
in  asserting  {his,  and  my  experience  goes  to  confirm  it.  The 
meal,  which  had  been  dispatched  in  rather  formal  silence,  being 
finished,  Castro  arose,  as  the  politicians  say,  to  define  his  position. 
He  was  a  fine-looking  fellow,  straight  as  the  stem  of  a  palm  ;  his 
limbs  exquisitely  developed.  There  was*a  light  and  elegant  finish 
about  his  whole  frame,  that  I  scarcely  ever  saw  approached — an 


99 

expression  of  bounding  elasticity  that  cannot  be  conveyed.  His 
face  was  after  "  the  high  old  Roman  fashion,"  his  forehead  broader 
and  better  developed  than  I  ever  noticed  an  Indian's  before  ;  and 
the  circlet  of  eagle's  feathers  set  back  upon  it,  the  flash  of  his 
large  black  eye,  and  the  play  of  his  wide,  thin  nostril,  gave  to  his 
whole  air  a  fierce  alertness  and  wild  magnanimity,  which  would 
have  consummated  the  poet's  ideal  of  nature's  tameless  chivalry — 
a  nursling  of  the  sun  and  storms — a  knight-of  the  sea-like  waving 
plains — quick  in  the  chase  and  battle  as  the  grey-hawk's  arrowy 
stoop — merciless,  strong,  and  terrible  in  beauty  as  the  glossy 
panther.  He  was  much  distinguished,  too,  above  his  tribe,  by  the 
richness  of  his  ornaments,  which  were  of  pure  silver,  banded, 
and  hung  upon  his  dusky  skin  in  great  profuseness.  Tufts  of 
red-stained  horse-hair,  and  scarlet  feathers,  set  off  his  lance,  and 
bow,  and  belts, — one  of  which  last  crossed  his  swelling  chest  and 
sustained  the  full  and  gaily  decorated  quiver  behind :  another 
around  his  waist  bore  the  long  hunting-knife,  and  held  in  its 
place,  the  most  unpoetical  and  ineuphoneous  "  breech-clout ;" 
and  to  this  was  attached,  by  thongs,  the  leggins,  which  came  up 
.o  his  knees,  the  white  buckskin  of  which  they  were  made,  marked 
with  angular  figures  in  red  and  black  paint,  and  cut  into  a  wide 
fringe  behind ;  again,  to  these  were  attached  the  moccasins, 
made  of  the  same  material,  neatly  fringed,  and  worked  with  beads, 
by  the  fingers  of  some  dusky  maiden.  At  his  feet  lay  his  bow, 
and  the  oval  shield  made  of  skin  from  the  necks  of  buffalo  bulls, 
tanned  to  a  shining,  white  surface,  bearing,  like  the  shields  of  all 
other  knights,  his  coat  of  arms,  painted  in  strange  hieroglyphics, 
that  told  the  story  of  his  feats. 

fiis  warriors,  to  the  number  of  sixty,  accoutred  in  something 
like  the  same  style,  though  much  less  handsomely,  were  grouped 
around  us  in  grave  silence,  looking  up  to  his  face  with  respectful 
attention,  when,  with  a  graceful  though  stately  nod  to  the  Colonel, 
he  commenced  : 

"  Brodder !  the  big  war-chief,"  nodding  to  us,  "and  white 
brodders!  Lipans  are  strong  braves  !  they  no  forget !  So  much 
times,"  holding  up  the  fingers  of  both  hands,  "  the  grass  has  been 
Dale.  Castro  and  his  braves  know  the  big  war-chief.  He  very 
much  brave  ;  his  heart  much  full  of  blood — his  hand  very  red. 


100 

He  strikes  like  the  Great-Spirit  fire  !  the  Comanch  fal  J  the  Mexi. 
can  fall — many  papooses  weep.  He  learn  Castro  much  to  fight. 
Castro  he  now  big  war-chief,  too.  The  Comanch  take  your  horse ! 
Castro  will  take  his  scalp  !  The  big  war-chief  must  have  his 
horse  ;  Castro  will  bring  it !  The  trail  is  on  the  grass.  Lipans 
see  sharp.  They  are  ravens.  Many  hours  they  are  gone. 
Lipans  are  swift.  They  are  long-eared  rabbits — run  more  long 
than  wolves  !  Comanch  has  much  good  horse.  Lipan  horse  run 
like  wild  goose  fly.  Go  sleep !  Castro  will  bring  you  scalos — 
all  you  horse  !  So  much,"  holding  up 'four  fingers,  "  times  the 
sun  go,  the  big  war-chief  and  white  brodders  see  Castro!  Co 
manch  big  cowards !  Lipans  hate  cowards  !  Damn  !  Castro 
will  whip  Comanch  !  Lipans  can  whip  squaws  !" 

The  warriors  sprang  to  their  feet  at  the  conclusion  of  this 
oration,  and  danced,  and  yelled,  and  clattered  their  lances  against 
their  shields  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  suddenly  scattering, 
every  man  to  his  horse,  in  an  incredibly  short  time  they  were  all 
mounted,  everything  in  its  place,  and  ready  to  be  off. 

Tlie  Colonel  shool^hands  with  the  young  chief,  saying,  "  Castro 
is  brave — he  has  fought  by  my  side !  The  Lipans  are  like  white 
warriors !  Good-bye  !  Go  it,  my  fine  fellow,  you  are  game  and 
no  mistake !" 

We  gave  them  three  cheers,  which  they  answered  with  the 
war-whoop,  and  scurried  off  at  full  speed  over  the  plain — and 
a  wild,  light-heeled,  fierce-hearted  crew  were  they  !  Antone 
and  Davis  galloped  along  with  them  for  a  half-mile,  making  more 
fuss  and  fierce  demonstrations  than  any  warrior  of  them  all ;  but 
after  they  had  wounded  the  inoffensive  air  by  a  sufficient  number 
of  ferocious  thrusts  at  some  phantom  foe,  to  convince  the  Indians 
how  severely  they  would  deal  with  one  of  flesh,  they  wheeled 
out  of  the  crowd,  and  came  galloping  back  to  us  with  all  the  con 
scious  bearing  of  heroes. 

We  now  set  out  for  home — the  Texan  grumbling  that  he  had 
been  disappointed  in  a  fight ! — the  Mexicans  swaggering  about 
what  they  would  have  done — that  is,  Antone  and  Davis  being 
mouthpieces  of  the  common  sentiment ! — while  the  Colonel  and 
myself  jogged  along  very  cosily  together — he  in  his  usual  gossip, 
ing  mood,  and  I  a  good  listener ! 


101 

"  The  Lipans,"  said  he,  "  were  once  a  formidable  nation. 
They  have  held  a  desperate  feud  with  the  Comanches  since 
the  flood,  for  all  I  know ;  and  after  we  came  here  to  take 
possession  of  the  country,  we  found  them  one  of  the  most  un 
manageable  tribes  in  it.  We  had  some  furious  fights  with 
them.  Between  the  Texas  rifles  and  the  lances  of  the  Comanches, 
they  had  been  thinned  out  amazingly,  though  they  were  still  so 
troublesome  that  the  boys  got  together  at  last  to  exterminate  them — 
tear  them  up  root  and  branch  !  Though  at  the  time  there  was  a 
sort  of  truce  between  us,  the  boys  crept  on  their  camp,  near 
Labaca  Bay,  one  morning  about  daybreak,  and  firing  upon  it, 
then  went  into  a  regular  wholesale  slaughter  of  men,  women,  and 
children.  They  fought  like  devils  as  soon  as  they  got  their  eyes 
open — for  they  were  sleeping  like  logs  when  the  Texans  fired  on 
them.  But  it  all  wouldn't  do,  and  they  were  killed — the  whole 
of  them,  but  these  sixty  warriors  and  a  few  women  who  made 
their  escape.  The  Comanches  got  wind  of  it,  and  hoping  to  wreak 
on  this  weakened  remnant  the  vengeance  they  had  been  waiting 
for,  upon  the  tribe,  they  pressed  them  so  hard  that  the  wretched 
creatures  came  to  us  for  protection.  They  swore  to  be  our  fast 
friends  for  ever,  if  we  would  save  them  from  extermination  !  We 
drove  off  the  Comanches,  and  since  that  time  the  Lipans  have 
been  faithful  and  very  useful  to  us.  It  was  like  a  cur  licking 
the  hand  that  beat  him  ;  but  they  knew  there  was  a  greater  chance 
of  mercy  for  them,  with  us,  than  with  their  old  enemies. 

"  Indians  hate  where  their  fathers  hated  hotter  than  devils. 
Castro  was  a  youngster  then — but  he's  got  the  heart  of  a  white  man 
in  him.  He  saw  me  in  a  fight  with  the  Comanches  once,  and  came 
to  me  and  wanted  me  to  tell  him  the  charm  that  would  make  him 
fight  like  me.  He  wouldn't  believe  it  when  I  told  him  there  was  no 
conjuration  about  it,  and  wouldn't  leave  me  for  six  months  after, 
night  or  day.  Every  fight  we  had,  he  kept  by  my  side,  watching 
every  movement  I  made,  thinking  I  had  concealed  the  spell  from 
him,  and  determined  to  find  it  out.  He  would  go  wherever  I  did, 
it  mattered  not  what  the  danger  was ;  and  I  have  frequently  been 
amused  to  see  how  closely  he  would  watch  me.  In  the  hottest 
of  a  fight — instead  of  attending  to  his  own  defence — his  eyes 
wo  lid  be  curiously  observing  the  slightest  thing  I  did,  and  imitat- 

9* 


102 

fog  it  then,  himself.  When  he  met  with  Captain  Hays  of  Bexar 
— who  is  the  most  daring  and  successful  ranger  we  ever  had  on 
the  frontier — I  thought  the  fellow  would  go  crazy  with  delight. 
[Ie  almost  worships  him  !  and  for  a  year  or  two,  he  never  left 
him  :  and  the  boys  used  to  say,  it  was  nip  and  tuck  between  Jack 
— as  they  called  Hays — and  Castro,  who  would  do  the  most  fool 
hardy  things.  His  tribe  soon  selected  him  their  war-chief,  as  the 
old  chief,  his  father,  Was  now  getting  too  stiff  to  lead  them.  And 
though  he  never  found  out  the  secret  of  the '  spell,'  as  he  thought 
it  was,  yet  in  the  search  for  it  he  became  one  of  the  most  bold 
and  headlong  warriors  I  have  ever  known. 

"  The  boys  tell  a  good  story  about  him  !  Every  rash  thing  Hays 
did — and  he  did  a  plenty  of  Jem — Castro  would  forthwith  do 
something  just  as  rash,  and  a  little  more  so  if  possible.  He  was 
along  with  Hays  and  his  party  of  ten  Rangers,  on  an  expedition 
to  the  Rio  Grande  once,  and  they  very  unexpectedly  came  in 
view  of  a  troop  of  eighty  Mexican  cavalry.  There  seemed  to 
be  no  chance  for  it  but  to  fight,  great  as  the  difference  in  number 
was,  or  be  taken ;  and  such  an  idea  never,  for  once,  entered  into 
Hays'  calculations. 

"  The  Mexican  Colonel  rode  out  some  distance  in  advance  of  his 
men,  and  very  insolently  ordered  Hays  to  surrender.  The  par 
ties  were  about  three  hundred  yards  apart.  Hays  coolly  turned 
to  his  men,  and  said,  '  Sit  still,  boys,  I'll  fix  that  chap  !'  They 
were  so  accustomed  to  his  odd  ways  that  they  obeyed,  and  let  him 
ride  on  alone,  to  meet  the  Mexican  officer.  The  officer  thought 
he  was  coming  for  a  parley,  and  approached  him  off  his  guard. 
It  happened  that  Hays  was  riding  a  wild  young  horse  that  was 
not  accustomed  to  firing.  He  forgot  this,  though,  and  supposing 
it  was  his  old  horse,  when  he  got  in  about  eighty  paces  of  the 
officer,  jerked  his  rifle  suddenly  to  his  face,  and  tumbled  him  off. 
The  young  horse,  desperately  frightened,  ran  off  with  him,  and 
carried  him  like  a  streak  clear  through  the  Mexican  line.  They 
were  so  much  astonished  at  the  rapidity  of  the  thing,  and  the  fall 
of  their  leader,  that  they  did  not  attempt  to  interrupt  him,  and  he 
passed  through  unhurt.  Castro,  when  he  saw  this,  instantly  put 
spurs  to  his  horse — for  he  thought  it  was  a  bravado  feat,  arid  was 
determined  '  >t  to  be  laid  in  the  shade.  So  all  alone  he  came 


103 

charging  down  upon  the  Mexicans  too ;  but  they  had  by  this  time 
somewhat  recovered  from  their  stupor,  and  gave  him  a  little  hotter 
reception  than  Hays  had  met — though  they  were  most  thoroughly 
confounded  by  this  new  mode  of  fighting.  They  closed  around 
Castro,  who  fought  like  a  wild-cat,  and  soon  unhorsed  him,  with 
a  half  dozen  wounds;  and,  but  that  the  Rangers,  just  in  time, 
dashed  in  to  his  rescue,  he  would  have  been  cut  to  pieces. 

"  The  Mexicans  never  got  over  the  confusion  these  two  extraor 
dinary  sallies  produced,  and  were  badly  whipped.  After  they 
got  through  tying  the  prisoners,  Hays  stumbled  upon  Castro,  lying 
bruised,  bleeding,  and  almost  insensible,  under  the  feet  of  their 
horses.  He  stooped  by  him,  thinking  he  was  mortally  wounded, 
and  took  his  hand  affectionately.  Castro  opened  his  eyes,  and 
seeing  who  it  was,  said,  smilingly,  as  he.  closed  them  again,  'Ah, 
Captain  Jack !  you  be  too  much  brave  for  poor  Castro !  he  no  go 
through  the  hell  like  you  !' 

"  It  was  a  Jong  time  before  the  brave  and  simple-hearted  fellow 
got  over  it,  and  when  he  did  get  well,  he  merely  answered  the 
joke  tha*.  was  current  about  the  affair,  saying,  *  The  white  chief 
no  more  shall  beat  Castro  for  the  laugh.' }:  I  was  much  delighted 
with  the  story  of  this  gallant  knight  cf  the  "  Order"  of  Nature. 


104 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    DANCING     BEAR. 


WHEN  we  reached  home,  we  found  a  ragged,  tow-headed  boy, 
who  looked  as  if  he  might  have  been  white  once,  and  who  had 
been  sent  as  page  d'amour — I  suppose — by  the  old  Madame  Ca- 
villo,  to  request  the  honor  of  the  presence  of  her  dear  friend  the 
Colonel,  and  his  friends,  at  her  grand  fandango,  to  be  given  that 
night.  The  Colonel  was  in  great  glee  in  anticipation  of  this  frolic. 
Very  much  to  my  astonishment,  he  endeavored  to  dissuade  me 
from  going. 

"  My  boy,"  said  he,  "  you  are  too  imprudent !  You  will  get 
into  a  row  over  there,  if  you  go  !  It's  going  to  be  a  ticklish  even 
ing.  The  old  woman  wants  a  quarrel  with  me  any  how,  and  if 
there  are  too  many  Americans  there,  she  will  make  that  an  ex. 
cuse." 

"  I  like  that  coming  from  you,"  I  said,  laughing.  "  It  sounds 
rather  funny  to  hear  you  preaching  prudence,  after  what  you  did 
yestorday." 

"  Well !  well !  "  said  he,  with  a  grin ;  "  but  I  arn  in  earnest ! 
I  have  especial  reasons  for  thinking  that  it  will  be  the  safest  for 
all  parties  that  you  and  Texas  shouldn't  go  there  to  night.  I 
wish  you  would  stay  ;  your  feet  are  too  sore  to  dance,  any  how." 

This  was  true ;  I  was  too  much  used  up  to  enjoy  the  thing, 
and  felt  half  disposed  not  to  go  at  any  rate.  But  Texas  swore 
bluntly  that  go  he  would  ;  though  the  Colonel  continued  to  remon 
strate  and  persuade,  he  was  not  to  be  moved.  I  thought  there' 
was  something  odd  about  this  excessive  anxiety  to  have  us  stay 


105 

behind  ;  but  I  was  too  much  worried  to  think  about  it  especially, 
and  threw  myself.upon  my  buffalo  robe  for  a  nap. 

I  was  waked  by  the  glare  of  a  light  in  my  face.  On  looking 
up,  I  saw  it  was  caused  by  the  boy  who  brought  the  message  from 
old  madam.  This  boy  was  a  singular  animal.  The  Colonel  had 
told  me  concerning  him — that  his  parents,  who  had  been  frontier 
people,  were  both  killed  while  he  was  quite  small,  by  the  Co- 
manches,  and  he  taken  prisoner ;  that  after  keeping  him  among 
them  for  a  year  or  so,  the  Indians  had  brought  him  back  with 
them  on  an  expedition  against  this  settlement;  that  the  boy,  in  a 
very  daring  style,  had  jumped  down  from  behind  the  warrior  who 
had  charge  of  him  in  the  midst  of  a  fight,  and  made  his  escape  by 
running  to  the  Rancho  of  Madam  Cavillo,  although  riddled  by 
half  a  dozen  arrows  in  the  effort;  that  since,  he  had  lived  a  sort 
of  jackal-life,  from  house  to  house,  owned  by  no  one,  kicked  and 
cuffed  on  all  sides,  mocking  and  stealing  from  everybody — the 
Mexicans  hating  him  because  he  was  white,  and  the  whites — who 
had  ever  seen  him — taking  no  interest  in  him,  because  of  his  wild, 
curious  habits,  and  a  character  for  faithlessness.  He  lived,  in  a 
word,  "a  vagabond  upon  the  face  of  the  earth." 

The  night  had  set  in  very  dark,  and  he  had  built  a  fire  to  roast 
some  meat  by,  which  he  had  pilfered  from  the  Colonel's  pork- 
barrel.  It  was  a  sketch  for  the  pencil  of  Cruikshank — that  boy 
with  his  "  unkempt  hair — his  looped  and  windowed  raggedness," 
crouching  over  the  flickering  blaze,  one  hand  before  his  face,  to 
protect  it  from  the  heat,  the  other  holding  a  great  slice  of  fat 
pork  to  toast  on  the  end  of  a  sharp  sti^k  ;  and  in  the  entire  ab 
straction  of  his  task — his  thick  and  flabby  lip  fallen  upon  his 
chin,  and  dripping  with  saliva — while  the  dense  and  gloomy  sha 
dows  rose  and  fell,  and  leaped  and  danced  about  him,  from  the 
uncertain  flame.  I  watched  him  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
called  him — "  John  !"  He  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  sneaking, 
guilty  look,  and  endeavored  to  conceal  his  theft,  until  be  found 
it  wae  of  no  use  ;  then  putting  an  impudent  face  upon  the  mat 
ter,  he  broke  out  into  a  loud  and  shrill  laugh. 

"Ha  !  ha !  old  Red-head  wanted  yef  to  stay  to-night  to  keep  his 
things  from  being  stealed  by  his  woman— did  he  ? 


106 

"  '  Snake  baked  de  hoe-cakg— 
Set  de  frog  to  mind  it — 
Frog  went  to  sleep — 
Lizard  come  and  stole  it. 

*  Ha  !  ha  !  ha !  went  to  sleep,  Mr.  Frog,  did  you  ?" 

He  accompanied  this  elegant  ditty  with  a  Jim  Crow  sort  of 
shuffle,  and  psalmody  whine  through  his  nose. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  you  scamp,  by  his  woman  wanting  tc 
steal  his  things  !"  said  I — a  good  deal  amused  by  this  cute  fashion 
of  getting  out  of  a  scrape. 

"  Lor !  ain't  you  hearn  yit  ?  Why,  he  went  and  tuck  her  by 
the  hair  and  dragged  her  out'en  her  old  dad's  house,  and  he  wool- 
ed  her,  and  he  larruped  her,  and  he  stomped  her  !  He  licked  her 
nasty,  now  I  tell  you  !  May-be  he  warn't  in  a  rarin  tarin  tan 
trum  !  and  all  just  because  the  yaller  slut  got  scairt  and  sworn 
'cross  the  river  when  the  Injuns  corned  !  He's  a  regular  bustin* 
old  devil !  When  he  gits  a  guine,  thar's  sumph:en  to  pay,  sure 
as  fallin'  off  a  log  !  He  was  afeared  she  and  her  kin-folks  would 
come  stealin'  away  her  things  to-night,  and  take  his'n  with  'em. 
That's  the  reason  why  he  was  a  beggin'  you  to  be  tired,  and  stay 
here  to-night.  He  !  he  !  you  ain't  sharper  nor  a  fox's  nose,  any 
how! 

"  «  Frog  went  asleep— 
Lizard  come  and  stole  it. 
Bring  back  my  hoe-cake, 
You  long-tailed  nannie  !' " 

He  was  in  the  act  of  bouncing  out  of  the  door,  with  this  chorus 
on  his  lips — or  in  bis  nose,  rather — when  I  intercepted  him. 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  bright  boy !  I  want  you  to  show  me  how  to 
get  across  the  river.  I  shall  go  up  to  the  Rancho  !" 

"  Well,  won't  you  tell  old  Red-head  about  the  hog- meat,  and 
git  me  licked  ?" 

"  Never  mind  about  the  meat ;  but  if  you  don't  show  me  right, 
about  getting  over  that  log,  I  shall  have  to  lick  you  myself!" 

"  You  catch  a  skunk  afore  you  eat  him — don't  you  ?"  said  he 
with  a  saucy  grin. 

The  rascal  seem&d  to  be  a  perfect  Flibbertigibbet ;  and,  as  J 


107 

knew  it  would  be  impossible  to  find  the  crossing  place,  dark  as  it 
was,  without  his  piloting,  I  propitiated  him  with  a  present  of 
tobacco,  got  my  gun  and  side  arms,  and  we  were  off  in  a  minute— 
he  dancing  with  all  sorts  of  antics  before  me — flourishing  his 
chunk  of  meat  over  his  head,  between  the  mouthfuls  he  tore  off 
from  it,  mumbling  out  snatches  of  curious  rkyme — imitations  of 
the  wild  sounds  of  the  wood  and  prairie. 

The  night  was  dark  enough  anywhere,  but  when  we  descended 
,to  the  last  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  timber  was  very  tall  and 
heavy,  it  was  the  blackness  of  darkness  ;  the  huge  trunks  of  the 
cotton  woods  themselves  could  not  be  distinguished  near  the 
ground.  The  heavy  ripple  of  the  deep,  rapid  stream,  was  loud 
and  threatening — it  seemed  \  o  me  right  at  our  feet,  and  I  felt  all 
the  time  as  if  the  next  step  would  take  me  into  it.  I  was  guided 
only  by  the  sound  of  the  boy's  step  and  his  voice,  which  he  took 
care  should  be  loud  enough,  and  strange  enough,  too,  to  wake 
hollow,  screeching,  and  every  other  sort  of  echo,  in  multiplied 
reverberations.  A  huge  owl  flapped  its  damp  wing  close  by  my 
.ear,  and  answered  him  in  a  hoot  so  stunningly  loud,  that  my  heart 
fairly  jumped  again.  The  boy  laughed  and  shouted — 

"  The  Injun  says — too-whoo !  too-whoo  ! 
The  old  owl  says — too-whoo !  too-whit ! 
Hunter,  watch !  he  is  fooling  you  ! 
Arrows  are  keen,  as  well  as  wit !" 

The  chorus  to  this  curious  snatch  Was  taken  up  in  hootings  and 
screeches,  on  every  side,  until  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  voods 
were  alive  with  owls — the  gloomy  shadows  literally  torn  and 
quaking  with  the  discord  of  pipes  of  every  calibre,  and  the  rattle ! 
rattle  !  snap  !  snap  !  of  angry  beaks.  The  wolves,  too,  put  in  as 
choristers,  and  the  boy  led  off  again — 

'  The  red  wolf  says,  whoo  ! — ooh  !  whoo — ah ! 
The  Injun  says,  whoo ! — ooh  !  whoo  !-*-oo ! 
Though  Injun  miss'd  the  figure  thar, 
Look-out !  His  arrow  is  more  true ! " 

His  imitations  of  the  voices  of  the  animals  were  so  complete, 
lhat  they  answered  him — the  waves  of  sound  swelling  louder, 


108 

more  prolonged,  until  there  was  a  very  tempest  of  dolors,  pouring 
from  a  hundred  howling,  hooting,  screeching  throats,  that  was 
positively  infernal.  I  felt  oppressed  and  restless.  There  was 
something  awful  in  these  moaning,  hideous  articulations  of  the 
deep  night — coming  as  they  did,  in  multiplied,  rebounding  echoes, 
through  the  wide  and  forest-tangled  jaws  of  darkness  !  And  this 
imp  of  the  wilds  who  was  leading  me  !  There  was  nothing  in 
his  reckless  deviltry  at  all  calculated  to  make  me  feel  more  com 
fortable  ;  and  when  he  shouted  "  Here's  the  log !  look  sharp  !" — 
I  was  altogether  doubtful  whether  he  did  not  intend  to  play  me 
some  elfish  trick.  It  was  a  perilous  passage — almost  as  bad 
as  Mahomet's  Hair  Bridge  to  the  Seventh  Heaven.  It  was  a 
single  and  very  slim  tree,  fallen  across  the  river,  and  that,  too, 
at  a  very  steep  angle ;  and  how  to  pass  it,  in  this  Egyptian  gloom, 
rather  puzzled  me  ! 

"  You've  got  to  take  it  coon- fashion— on  all  fours,"  said  my 
guide.  "  Hang  close  with  your  claws  !" 

It  looked  like  a  hazardous  game  indeed  !  crawling  through  the 
intense  blackness  on  my  hands  and  knees  up  that  narrow  and 
trembling  bridge — above  the  fierce  rush  of  the  deep,  fretful  cur- 
rent.  I  made  the  venture ;  and  you  may  conceive  how  foolish  I 
felt,  suspended  over  the  mad  waters,  the  laugh  of  that  strange  boy 
commingling  with  their  eager  turbulence.  I  managed  to  get 
across,  though,  at  last,  and  when  I  looked  back,  could  faintly  dis 
tinguish  his  grotesque  figure,  leaping  and  swinging  above  the 
angry  chaos.  We  climbed  the  hill  and  were  soon  at  the  Rancho. 
It  would  be  difficult  for  an  American  to  realize  the  characteristics 
of  the  odd  scene  that  met  my  view. 

Passing  through  the  great  gate,  I  was  introduced  to  the  square 
open  court — an  area  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  ticre — the  low 
stone  houses,  on  its  four  sides,  lit  by  rushlights  and  resounding 
with  music.  In  the  middle  of  the  court  itself  was  a  great  fire, 
over  which  swung  a  mighty  kettle  of  coffee ;  near  it  stood 
tubs  of  "  chickerones" — and  women,  with  long  hair  hanging 
loose  upon  their  shoulders,  were  snatching  "  tortillas"  from  the 
hot  stones  as  they  became  done,  and  heaping  them  in  piles  around. 
There  were  at  least  five  hundred  Mexicans  crowding,  shouting, 
and  jabbering  and  feasting,  in  the  open  space — the  men  in  white 


109 

cotton  shirts,  loose  trousers,  and  the  "  Serape" — the  women  in 
striped  "  robesos"  of  the  same  material  thrown  like  a  veil  ovei 
their  heads.  Every  one — men,  women,,  and  children — holding 
in  one  hand  a  tin  cup,  which  was  replenished  occasionally  from 
the  kettle  of  coffee — and  in  the  other  a  tortilla  and  chickerones. 

The  presence  of  my  sprightly  guide  among  them  was  very 
suddenly  apparent  from  the  increased  confusion  and  hubbub.  I 
elbowed  my  way  through  the  dense,  noisy  throng,  to  a  low,  long 
room,  from  which  the  sounds  of  revelry  seemed  to  proceed  most 
obstreperously.  I  succeeded,  after  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  in  esta 
blishing  my  position  just  inside  the  door,  and  there  a  most  comi 
cal  scene  presented  itself. 

The  most  conspicuous  figures  among  a  crowd  of  dancers,  were 
the  Colonel  and  old  Senora  Cavillo.  He  in  a  blanket  coat — his 
pantaloons  stuck  into  the  tops  of  the  long  clumsy  boots  I  had 
given  him — was  stamping  it  through  the  "  Jarabo"  (a  country 
dance),  dragging  after  him  the  old  Senora,  who  flung  out  with 
amazing  vivacity  her  lean  and  slippered  shanks  :  her  parchment 
face  wrinkled  with  affectionate  simpers,  and  her  keen  little  black 
eyes  leering  most  lovingly  at  her  gay  Lothario.  I  thought  she 
meant  to  kiss  him — she  gazed  so  passionately  at  him  !  She 
looked  the  Venus  of  an  infernal  revel ! 

Close  behind  this  exquisite  couple  came  Texas,  bouncing  and 
curveting  till  his  head  almost  touched  the  ceiling,  dragging  after 
him  a  thumping  Mexican  damsel.  Davis  was  there,  too,  "  the 
glass  of  fashion  and  the  mould  of  form" — the  focus  of  all  attrac 
tion — killing  and  gorgeous  as  ever !  But  I  was  most  amused 
at  the  Lieutenant.  His  wife — who  was  really  a  very  pretty  wo 
man — seemed  to  be  perfectly  victimized  by  the  transcendent  at 
tractions  of  Davis ;  while  the  poor  husband  stood  gloomily  in  a 
corner — a  just  impersonation  of  the  "green-eyed  monster," 
watching  their  billing  and  cooing  with  a  despairing,  vindictive 
look. 

I  was  astonished  to  hear  such  fine  music — for  the  Mexi 
cans  have  some  stirring  and  fantastic  airs  among  their  national 
music.  Their  dances  are  singularly  mazy  and  complicated- 
some  that  I  witnessed  were  very  graceful,  but  the  favorite  fan 

dan  go  is  a  most  listless,  monotonous,  thump-e-te*thump  of  the  feet 

10 


110 

of  a  single  couple  placed  opposite  to  each  other,  while  the  rest  of 
the  company  are  mere  "  lookers-on  in  Verona."  It  is  associated 
with  old  Mexican  superstitions.  The  women  were  costumed  in 
a  style  in  which  antiquated  American  fashions  and  semi-barbarous 
Mexican  tastes  were  oddly  blended.  The  Mexican  dandies  were 
all  of  them  arrayed  with  the  same  bastard  whimsicality. 

On  the  whole,,  it  was  a  curious,  grotesque  scene.  Attracted 
l>y  a  sudden  commotion  in  the  crowd  outside,  I  turned  my  head. 
Standing  close  to  me,  in  the  faint  light,  were  two  men  wrapped 
in  dark  cloaks ;  the  silver  gleam  of  the  stiletto  and  pistols 
showed  through  the  darkness,  and  a  dangerous  light  of  sharp 
fierce  eyes  glistened  beneath  the  broad  shade  of  their  "  som 
breros."  I  felt  instantly  that  there  was  fear  in  this  sudden 
apparition.  The^  looked  like  the  two  horsemen  of  the  morning 
before.  I  stepped  to  the  Colonel  and  whispered  my  suspicions. 

"  I  thought  so,"  said  he. 

And  almost  prostrating  the  old  Senora  in  his  hurry,  he  rushed 
out,  six-shooter  in  hand  !  But  the  two  strangers  had  taken  the 
hint,  and  were  already  swinging  open  the  great  gate.  He  fol 
lowed  them,  prostrating  everything  in  his  way.  I  attempted  to 
follow,  but  the  multitude  of  Peons  outside  interfered,  until  the 
gleam  of  my  long  knife  above  their  heads  made  them  give  way. 
I  got  through  just  in  time  to  see  the  Colonel  fire  through  the 
darkness  after  two  men  on  horseback,  who  were  clattering  away 
down  the  hill. 

It  would  have  amused  one — had  there  not  been  something  in 
its  exhibition  too  strong  and  fierce  to  be  laughed  at — to  witness 
the  unavailing,  champing,  foaming  fury  of  the  Colonel,  as  the 
retreating  figure  of  his  enemy  was  lost  in  the  darkness.  He 
fired  his  gun  twice  after  him,  even  when  he  was  far  enough  out 
of  view.  Then  stamping  and  shouting,  he  dashed  the  butt  of  his 
precious  "  six-shooter"  against  the  ground,  to  the  evident  peril  of 
its  integrity. 

He  was  rushing  back,  swearing  he  intended  to  make  his  way 
to  the  old  Senora,  and  speak  his  mind  to  her,  in  no  very 
measured  terms,  about  harboring  and  encouraging  a  villain  like 
Agatone,  to  the  peril  and  annoyance  of  her  neighbors,  when  the 
great  gate  of  the  court  was  slammed  heavily  in  his  face,  and  the 


Ill 

bolts  drawn.  He  dashed  his  broad  shoulders  against  it  like  a 
mad  buffalo,  and  bellowed  and  roared  in  his  baffled  wrath,  about 
as  musically  as  that  animal  would  have  done,  when,  in  its  blind 
fury,  it  had  crushed  its  horns  against  some  sturdy  oak,  behind 
which  its  subtle  assailant — the  hunter — had  glided.  But  it  all 
would  not  arail !  The  massive  gate  was  no  more  to  be  moved 
than  would  the  strong  oak  have  been.  And  after  expending  his 
strength  in  what  the  western  men  call  "  rearing  and  charging," 
until  he  was  perfectly  exhausted,  he  listened  to  my  entreaties, 
and  consented  to  start  for  home.  The  'man  was  dreadfully 
excited,  and  staggered  as  we  descended  the  hill. 

The  night  had  been  very  dark  when  I  came  over  j  but 
"  glimpses  of  the  moon"  visited  us  now,  occasionally,  through 
rifted  clouds,  which,  in  vast,  gloomy,  and  ragged  masses,  were 
careering  as  if — possesseol  by  the  winged  life  of  fear — they  fled 
across  the  heavens  silently  from  some  weird  foe.  There  has 
always  been  something  awful  to  me  in  the  noiseless  hurrying  of 
these  black  mighty  phantoms.  Haste  ! — haste  !  faster  ! — faster  I 
they  seem  to  say,  as  one  huge  shape  rushes  upon  another,  and 
yet  no  sound !  The  ear  expects  it ;  you  listen  for  the  crash ! 
But  no !  your  heart  beats  very  loud  ;  there  is  no  voice  from  that 
great  driving  chaos  !  The  silent  majesty  of  motion  !  the  mute 
power  that  whirls,  through  burning  mazes,  the  fire-dance  of  stars, 
is  seen  and  felt  in  the  sublimity  of  such  a  scene. 

When  we  were  a  short  distance  from  the  house,  I  heard  the 
quick  patter  of  feet  pursuing.  Before  I  could  look  behind,  the 
boy,  John,  throwing  himself  rapidly  past  in  a  bounding  somerset, 
was  standing  face  to  face  a  few  paces  in  front  of  us. 

"  Get  out  of  my  way  !"  growled  the  Colonel  furiously,  striking 
at  him.  "  You  hell-cat ;  you  skunk  ;  you  muskrat !  you  smell 
of  Mexicans ;  and  if  you  are  white,  that  only  makes  it  worse  ! 
A  white  boy  to  let  his  carcase  to  be  kicked  and  cuffed  about 
like  a  slunk  pig,  by  the  Mexicans  !  You  ought  to  go  and  starve 
with  the  wolves  first !  I'd  pick  a  buzzard's  bones  with  my 
teeth  rather !  Don't  get  in  my  reach,  or  I'll  stamp  you  into  tho 
earth !" 

The  boy,  who  seemed  desperately  afraid  of  the  bear  in  hia 


112 

urly  mood,  by  leading  and  rolling  together,  down  the  hill,  ha( 
ilaced  himself  far  enough  out  of  reach  in  an  instant. 

"  But,  Kurnal,"  he  said,  from  his  safe  position,  in  cowed 
whining  accents,  "  I  jist  corned  to  tell  yer " 

"  You  lie,  you  bat !  You  have  lied  to  me  and  to  the  Mexican 
both  !  I  don't  want  to  hear  you.  Clear  out,  I  say  !"  And  h< 
jerked  his  gun  up  to  his  face. 

The  woods  fairly  trembled  to  his  angry  roar.  The  boy,  quid 
as  lightning,  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  and  rolling  off  thi 
last  bank,  the  next  moment  we  heard  the  splash  of  his  struggling 
with  the  dark  rapid  waters. 

"Colonel,  the  boy  will  drown.  See  what  your  stupid  ange 
has  done !" 

"  Drown !  There's  no  hope  of  that ;  you'd  as  well  talk  oi 
drowning  a  mink.  I  wish  there  was  some  chance  for  it !" 

By  this  time  I  had  reached  the  bank  the  boy  had  been  standing 
on,  and  which  overlooked  the  bed  of  the  river.  By  the  fain 
light  on  the  ripples,  I  could  distinguish  a  small,  black  object 
about  thirty  paces  below  me,  which  seemed  to  be  moving  rapidl] 
down  the  middle  of  the  current.  With  a  splash,  it  instantlj 
disappeared  under  the  water,  as  I  came  in  view  ;  and  though 
ran  down  the  edge  of  the  stream  for  some  distance,  and  called  t< 
him  eagerly,  I  could  hear  and  see  nothing  more.  I  felt  some 
what  alarmed  for  the  boy's  life  ;  for  the  river,  besides  being  deej 
and  swift,  was  full  of  sharp  snags. 

The  Colonel  called  after  me  with  a  jeering  "  Haw !  haw 
you  are  throwing  away  trouble  and  shedding  sweat  for  nothing 
I  tell  you,  you  green-horn,  a  hundred  men  couldn't  drown  hin 
in  that  river !" 

I  stopped  to  wait  till  he  should  come  up  ;  for  the  log  we  wen 
to  cross  on  was  some  distance  further  down.  Just  before  he 
joined  me,  I  thought  I  could  distinguish  the  sound  of  snapping 
twigs  on  the  other  side,  but  the  gloom  under  the  heavy  foresi 
was  too  impenetrable  to  distinguish  anything.  I  said  nothing 
about  it,  thinking  it  might  be  some  wild  animal,  and  we  walkec 
on.  I  remonstrated  angrily  with  him  about  the  brutal  impolicy 
of  his  treatment  of  the  boy,  for  he  evidently  had  something  of 
importance  to  communicate ;  but  I  might  as  well  have  spent  my 


us 

oreath  to  the  trees ;  for  he  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the  very 
existence  of  John,  and  I  could  get  nothing  out  of  him  but  threats 
and  curses  about  Agatone  and  old  Senora  Cavillo. 

We  had  now  arrived  at  the  log.  I  have  before  spoken  of  this 
perilous  passage ;  and  going  down  it  from  this  side  was  worse 
than  climbing  it  from  the  other.  We  stopped,  and  the  Colonel, 
who  was  accustomed  to  the  passage,  proposed  to  go  first  and  show 
me  how  to  cross.  While  we  stood  for  a  moment  to  sling  our 
guns  upon  our  backs,  we  were  startled  by  a  stealthy  rustle  and 
cracking  in  the  woods  beyond.  The  moon  had  just  thrown  a 
pale  gleam  of  light  upon  our  figures  and  upon  the  log.  We 
both  stepped  instantly  back  into  the  shade  and  listened  breath 
lessly.  The  low  howl  of  a  wolf  very  close  to  us  swung  dismally 
out  on  the  stillness.  We  drew  our  breaths  again  ;  at  the  same 
moment  we  heard  a  voice  which  I  recognised  for  John's,  and 
which  seemed  to  be  some  distance  off,  singing  : 

"  The  red  wolf  says,  whoo-ooh  !   whoo-ah  ! 

The  robber  says,  whoo-ooh  !  whoo-ooh  ! 
Look  out !  look  out !  a  trigger's  thar  ; 
Look  out !  it  will  be  pulled  on  you !" 

1  suspected  what  the  warning  meant  at  once,  and  endeavored 
to  stop  the  Colonel,  who  was  hurrying  towards  the  log  again, 
with  the  exclamation,  "  Pish !  it's  nothing  but  a  wolf  and  that 
cursed  boy  again  !"  but  it  was  too  late.  Just  as  he  stepped  into 
the  moonlight,  a  long  phizz-ziz  and  a  bright  flash,  from  the  dense 
shadows  on  the  other  side,  were  followed  by  a  heavy  thumping 
report,  such  as  a  Mexican  escopet  always  makes.  The  Colonel 
sprang  back  with  the  exclamation,  "  Ha  !  it  blowed,  did  it !" 
while  I,  who  was  somewhat  prepared  by  my  previous  suspicions, 
fired  instantly  at  the  flash  ! 

The  Colonel  started  down  the  log  at  a  run,  but  the  same 
drizzling  rain  which  had  dampened  the  powder  of  the  assassin 
and  made  the  gun  hang  fire,  had  made  the  log  slippery ;  and  his 
headlong  leaps  had  carried  him  more  than  half  across  the  trem 
bling  bridge,  when  his  foot  slipped  and  he  was  plunged  into  the 
water.  I  followed  without  an  instant's  reflection,  and  with, 
perhaps,  more  instinctive  caution,  and  reached  the  other  side  in 

10* 


114 

safety.  The  Colonel  shouted  to  me,  sputtering  the  mud  and 
water  from  his  mouth,  "  Follow  that  fellow — I'm  safe,  or  will  be 
when  I  get  out !"  It  occurred  to  me  that  he  was  quite  able  to 
take  care  of  himself,  so  I  followed  at  full  speed  in  the  direction 
of  the  retreating  footsteps.  It  was  too  late  though,  and  after 
nearly  knocking  the  side  of  my  face  off  against  a  tree,  and 
having  my  head  almost  jerked  from  my  shoulders  by  thorny  vines 
it  was  impossible  to  guard  against  in  the  dark,  I  halted  pretty 
much  out  of  breath,  and  nothing  the  wiser  for  my  chase,  though 
something  the  worse,  for  I  could  feel  hot  drops  trickling  down  my 
neck,  and  the  sting  of  the  sharp  thorns  that  had  been  dragged 
across  it. 

After  a  short  time  I  heard  the  Colonel  approaching,  plunging 
and  tearing  through  the  bushes  like  a  worried  bear  through  cane- 
brakes.  By  the  time  he  reached  me,  he  was  pretty  well  done 
up ;  the  sudden  ducking  had  very  thoroughly  cooled  him  off,  and 
he  now  began  to  feel  the  bruises  he  had  received,  and  the.reaction 
of  the  various  excitements  of  the  evening,  and  for  a  little  while 
was  comparatively  tame.  Jt  now  occurred  to  me,  for  the  first 
time,  to  wonder  what  had  become  of  Texas.  I  asked  the  Colonel 
what  he  thought  of  it.  He  answered  me,  between  his  long 
pantings,  "  Pooh !  never  mind  Texas !"  Three  or  four  pants 
and  a  long-drawn  breath — "  That  cursed  Agatone  !" — pant — 
"  thought  he  had  me  !"  Panting — "  Too  much  occupied  with 
hugging  that  fat — "  Long  breaths  again — "Set  him  thereto 
plug  me  on  that  log,  did  he  !"  Still  louder  and  hoarser,  catching 
his  breath — "Ooh  !  I  could  tear  him  with  my  teeth !"  A  longer 
pause — "  Texas  wouldn't  hear  the  guns,  and  don't  know  anything 
about  it.  I  must  stop  and  rest !"  Down  he  dropped  upon  a  log. 
"  If  that  gun  hadn't  blowed,  I'd  'av  been  a  gone'er,  sure  !  Why 
didn't  you  hit !" 

"  I  did  my  best,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  yes  ;  but  why  wa'n't  your  best  better  ?" 

"  You  are  unreasonable  as  usual,  man.  It  was  all  guess-work, 
in  the  dark !" 

"  Yes,  he'll  come  out  as  soon  as  he  gets  tired  of  the  dance,  and 
the  girl,  and  the  liquor.  You  and  he  must  start  to-morrow  at 
day-break  and  bring  Hays.  We'll  hunt  Agatone  this  time  to 


115 

the  death, or  I'll  leave  the  country!     No  I  won't — 111  catch  him 
We  can't  help  catching  him  ;  Hays  and  the  Bravo  are  perfec 
bloodhounds.     I'll  follow  him  across  the  Rio  Grande  but  I'll  have 
him  !     I'll  kill  my  horse ! — I'll  walk  till  my  feet  give  out — then 
I'll  crawl  on  my  knees  across  the  desert  prairie  and  chaw  snails 
to  live   on — but  I'll  have  him !     Hell !   I'll  hunt  him  into  its 
black  jaws  but  I'll  lap  his  heart's  blood !"     And,  calling  down  a 
terrible  imprecation  on  his  own  head  if  he  didn't  do  all  this,  he- 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  said,  abruptly, 

"Come  on." 

There  was  something .  absolutely  imposing  in  the  tameless 
cataract  of  passion  this  man's  nature  exhibited ;  and  had  it  not 
been  so  thoroughly  bestialized,  it  would  have  been  almost 
•ublime. 


116 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE    PRAIRIE    SCOUT. 

WE  reached  the  house  without  another  word  being  spoken 
between  us.  We  were  astonished  to  see,  through  the  chinks,  the 
blaze  of  a  cheerful  fire.  As  we  entered,  the  figure  of  a  very  tall 
personage  met  us.  I  heard  a  drawling  voice  say, 

"  How  are  yer,  Kern  ?" 

"  Bill  Johnson  !  Blood  and  blazes !  Glad  to  see  you,  old 
fellow  !  What  brought  you  here  ?  Just  the  boy  I  wanted  !" 

"  Oh,  jest  sneakin'  around  !     Anything  er  stirrin'  ?" 

"I  tell  you,  boy,  yes;  I  have  just  taken  a  pop  at  Agatone. 
One  of  his  men  took  one  at  me  down  on  the  log.  Did  you  hear 
the  gun  ?" 

"  Jest  as  usual ;  one  er  them  yaller  stinks  can't  hit  a  bluff-side  ! 
I  hearn  the  gun — thought  thar  were  sumthen  out.  Who  is  this  ?" 
turning  to  me. 

"  Oh,  that's  Kentuck ;  we're  going  to  make  something  of  him ; 
he  «tands  powder  well,  but  wants  a  heap  of  practice." 

"  He  I  he !  gin  us  your  feelers,  Kentuck  ;  we'll  work  the 
buttermilk  outen  yer  !  Glad  yer  come  !  From  old  Tennersee 
myself,  and  them's  close  sisterine  yer  know.  Turn  that  meat, 
thar,  Kern !  You  keeps  mighty  triflin'  fires ;  but  you  poor 
creatures  where  live  in  houses  can't  have  a  fire  like  men 
ought'er.  Squat  yourselves,  boys,  and  make  yerselves  at  home 
while*  I'm  er'eatin' ;  I  ain't  tuck  nothin'  since  yester' evenin', 
and  then  I  tuck  it  raw  dry,  'cause  a  fire  wa'n't  safe  !" 

"  Fresh  signs  ?"  asked  the  Colonel,  as  he  stooped  and  cut 
a  great  slice  from  the  venison  nam  which  was  spitted  before  the 
fire. 


117 

"  I  could 'er  almos  smelt  'em  !"  said  Bill,  as  he  went  through 
the  same  manoeuvre. 

"  I  found  yer  coffee,  Kern,  though  yer  does  keep  it  in  a  cussed 
sly  place.  Mexicans  bad,  are  they  ?  Mighty  bad  thing  having 
people  living  'bout,  jest  ter  thieve." 

But  the  Colonel's  jaws  were  loo  busy  by  this  time  for  further 
talk,  and  he  merely  nodded  his  head.  Bill,  who  had  now,  too, 
cut  off  a  slice  of  meat  weighing  about  a  pound  from  the  ham,  and 
passed  it  on,  with  a  significant  look,  to  me,  then  seized  upon  the 
quart-cup  of  coffee  which  was  simmering  hot,  and  commenced  in 
solemn  silence  his  meal. 

Now,  amidst  the  deep  stillness,  broken  only  by  the  doleful  sound 
of  the  voices  of  night  without,  and  the  crashing  of  their  heavy 
grinders,  let  us  take  a  good  look  at  Bill  Johnson — the  boy,  as  the 
Colonel  called  him.  And  a  rough  seeming  customer  was  he — 
worth  taking  a  second  look  at — especially  if  you  felt  any  tempta 
tion  to  cross  his  track.  He  was  upwards  of  six  feet  four  in 
height ;  an  angular,  loose-jointed  figure,  that  looked  as  if  it  had 
been  thrown  together  by  a  pitchfork,  and  did  not  care  whether  it 
stayed  thrown  together  or  not ;  his  bones,  though,  were 
prodigiously  massive,  and  his  hand  felt  to  me  like  lead.  There 
was  not  the  sixtieth  part  of  a  grain  of  surplus  flesh  upon  him.  His 
tendons,  muscles,  and  even  veins,  were  as  rigorously  defined  as  if 
they  had  been  cut  in  granite.  Upon  his  wide,  massy  shoulders 
was  set  a  very  small  head,  with  a  fleece  of  close-curled  black 
hair.  His  features  were  small  and  well  shaped,  with  a  full, 
frank  black  eye ;  his  skin,  stretched  so  tight  as  it  was  over  the 
bones,  reminded  me,  in  color  and  consistence,  of  a  drum-head. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  black,  greasy  buckskin  suit,  "  a  world  too 
wide,"  which  appeared  as  though  it  had  weathered  a  thousand 
itorms,  and  kept  pace  with  the  progressive  tanning  of  his  own 
cuticle. 

In  a  word,  sun  and  winds,  perils  by  flood  and  field,  and 
starvation,  altogether,  had  hardened  the  man  into  a  perfect  whale 
bone  state  !  He  had  lain  aside  his  wolf-skin  cap  and  bullet, 
pouch,  and  in  the  belt  of  his  hunting  shirt  were  stuck  two  or  three 
knives  of  different  sizes  and  lengths,  and  a  brace  of  long  rifle- 
pistols.  The  charger  of  alligators'  teeth  hung  at  his  breast, 


118 

along  with  the  coiled  wire  tube-picker.  Of  beard  he  had  none 
whether  he  had  plucked  it  out,  as  the  Indians  do,  or  never  had 
one,  I  cannot  tell.  But  such  as  he  is — this  was  Bill  Johnson,  the 
guide,  hunter,  trapper — the  man  who  knew,  as  well  as,  he  knew 
"  Old  Sue,"  his  rifle,  every  peak  along  the  chain  of  tne  Rocky 
Mountains — who  visited  Astoria  merely  as  a  pleasure-jaunt  to  see 
the  boys,  and  hug  his  old  friends  the  grizzly  bears — who 
luxuriated  his  summers  at  the  Steamboat  Springs,  with  his  head 
upon  the  lap  of  his  Delilah — a  captured  Blackfeet  squaw  ! — who 
took  Santa  Fe  as  "  mine  inn"  on  his  way  to  spend  the  winter  on 
the  pampas  of  California — who  was  proof  against  wind  and  hail, 
and  all  tornadoes,  and  joyed 

"  On  the  snow-wreath  to  battle  with  the  wolf;" — 

whose  hide  could  glance  the  arrow  of  a  Souix — whose  eye  would 
see  the  Condor  first,  and  rifle  bring  it  from  its  icy  peaks— 
whose  spring  was  agile  as  the  long-fleeced  goat's — whose  foot  was 
tireless  as  the  Huron  runner's — who  could  outstarve  the  raven, 
and  look  greasy  where  the  jackalls  died — whose  fist  could  crush 
a  puma's  skull — whose  stab  was  quicker  than  the  thought  of 
death — whose  hate  was  greedy  as  an  eagle's  maw — whose  face 
was  mild  and  simple  as  a  country  boy's — whose  heart  was  frank 
as  any  maiden's,  and  quite  as  free  of  guile — who  worshipped  God 
unconsciously  in  daily  walk  and  converse  with  his  grandeur,  yet 
would  have  laughed  at  all  religions  ! 

Such  was  Bill  Johnson ;  and  so  are  many  others  of  those 
majestic  natures,  whose  souls  grow  like  the  shadows  of  the  moun 
tain  ridges  they  walk  beneath — "  wild  above  rule  or  art" — rugged 
but  sublime !  And  yet  that  man's  hand  was  red,  and  many 
a  ruthless  blow  of  retributive  vengeance  it  had  struck.  Society 
would  shudder  at  the  bare  recital  of  many  a  deed  he  had  smiled 
in  doing.  Yet  while  in  your  "  fenced  cities"  you  have  the 
gallows — your  huge  castellated  prisons,  your  houses  of  discipline, 
your  narrow  cells  where,  shut  from  the  free  air  and  holy  sun,  the 
wretched  sinner  against  your  laws  must  tell  the  weary  seconds  on 
through  years,  until  the  inward  light  goes  out  and  death  strikes 
twice — you  should  not  find  fault  with  these  men,  to  whom  "  con 
science  is  as  for  a  law ;"  you  have  given  the  n  none  ;  and 


lid 

since  the  systems  you  boast  of,  and  have  framed  in  pride,  offer  you 
no  alternative  but  to  make  justice  an  executioner,  blame  them 
not  if,  as  they  have  no  ideal  incorporation  on  which  to  throw 
the  blame — to  which  they  can  say,  "on  your  shadowy  head 
be  the  blood  of  this  man  ;  we  wash  our  hands  of  it " — they 
should  more  honestly  take  the  retribution  into  their  own  hands, 
and  each  man  for  himself  be  the  executioner  of  its  stern 
law. 

You  cannot  judge  of  the  fierce  wrongs  which  heat  their 
strong  passions  to  the  fever-thirst  for  blood  and  vengeance.  It 
is  a  battle  for  life — for  ever— on  these  desolate  wilds,  of  man 
to  man,  eye  to  eye,  and  foot  to  foot.  Yet  they  have  a  code — 
though  a  relentless  and  martial  one  it  be — written  in  the  con- 
stitution  of  their  natures,  and  the  circumstances  of  their  position. 

"  Trust  me — each  state  must  have  its  policies — 
Kingdoms  have  edicts — cities  have  their  charters — 
And  even  the  wild  outlaw,  in  his  forest  walks, 
Keeps  yet  some  touch  of  civil  discipline." 

By  this  code  they  are  most  sacredly  bound.  This  common 
law  of  conscience  and  of  individual  rights  needs  no  wily  coun 
sellor  to  distort  its  meaning  and  confound  its  sense ;  but  each 
one,  with  the  majesty  of  nature  looking  down  upon  him  from 
her  eternal  hills,  and  under  the  broad  gaze  of  the  great  eye  of 
heaven,  manfully  and  stoutly,  of  his  own  responsibility,  inter 
prets  for  himself,  and  is  his  own  executive  ! 

"  Ye'r  goin'  to  see  after  him  some,  in  the  mornin',  Kern  ?" 
For  the  bone  was  picked  pretty  clean  by  this  time. 

"  I  tell  you  we  are,  Bill !  The  boys  will  bring  Hays  and  ten 
men  ;  and  now  we've  got  you,  I  wouldn't  take  a  hundred  mules 
for  the  chance  !" 

"  I  don't  care,  but  Til  be  thar.  Yer  know,  Kern,  thar's  sum- 
then  between  us ;  it's  time  it  war  fixed— don't  like  such  things 
ter  stand  long ;  but  they  don't  spile  much  in  my  keepin?. 
A.gatone  run'd  agir  ther  wrong  sawyer  when  he  run  d  agin 
Bill  Johnson!" 

"  That  he  did,  Bill." 

"  But  who'r  yer  goin'  ter  send  on  the  trail,  at  day-break  ?" 


120 

"  Oh,  the  Tonquoway !  you  know  him." 

"  He'll  do.     Let's  quile  up."      . 

And  with  the  word  he  spread  his  buffalo-robe  on  the  floor,  and 
said,  as  he  threw  himself  upon  it — 

"  Don't  like  this  'ere  sleepin'  twixt  walls !  Too  close— can't 
breathe  free !  kinder  strangulate's  a  man  !  Don't  see  how  yer 
can  stand  it,  Kern  !" 

"  Oh,  a  man  can  get  used  to  a  heap  o'  things,  Bill !" 

We  were  all  soon  stretched  upon  our  respective  pallets,  and  J 
was  nearly  asleep,  when  Bill,  who  had  been  tossing  from  side  to 
side,  sniffing,  drawing  long  breaths,  and  seeming  to  be  very 
restless,  suddenly  jumped  to  his  feet,  took  up  his  blanket,  and 
walked  out  of  the  door,  grumbling  and  muttering  as  he  went : 

"  Cussed  hole  !  'nough  to  smother  a  ground-hog  !  Wouldn't 
sleep  thar  fer  a  hundred  beaver  pelts  !" 

I  nearly  burst  my  sides  with  restrained  laughter  at  the  idea  of 
a  man's  fearing  he'd  be  "  strangulated"  in  a  log-house,  with  both 
doors  open,  or  rather  with  no  door  at  all.  But  I  fully  appre 
ciated  Bill's  uneasiness  after  six  or  eight  months'  tour  on  the 
prairies,,and  recollect  being  obliged  to  do  the  same  thing  the 
first  time  I  slept  in  a  house  afterwards.  A  sense  of  suffocation 
came  over  me  as  soon  as  I  lay  down — though  the  room  was  very 
open  ;  and  after  trying  in  vain  to  sleep  for  several  hours,  I  was 
obliged  to  take  my  blanket,  and  go  out  to  sleep  under  a  tree ! 
Nothing  less  than  the  fanning  of  the  strong  wings  of  the  moun 
tain  wind,  laden  with  the  perfume  of  the  flowery  plains,  can 
lull  to  sleep  the.se  spoiled  luxurious  chil  iren  of  the  wi'da. 


121 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE     MANIAC     HORSEMAN 

JUST  before  day  we  were  waked  by  the  arrival  of  Texas,  who 
made  his  appearance,  accompanied  by  quite  a  characteristic 
retinue.  It  consisted  of  the  lieutenant,  his  wife,  and  Davis.  The 
woman,  very  drunk,  was  mounted  on  horseback,  and  was  with 
difficulty  held  in  her  seat  by  the  husband,  who  walked  on  one 
side  and  Davis  on  the  other.  On  the  shoulder  of  this  last  per 
sonage  her  hand  was  caressingly  rested,  while  she  leaned  over 
his  face  gabbling  and  stammering  idiotically  her  maudlin  affec 
tion. 

I  had  noticed  at  the  fandango  a  bottle  filled  with  a  clear,  pale 
liquor,  which  I  ascertained  to  be  common  American  whiskey; 
the  movements  of  which,  along  with  those  of  the  small  tin  cup 
accompanying  it,  had  appeared  to  excite  a  high  degree  of  interest 
on  the  part  of  the  females  present.  These  warm-blooded  dames 
had  preferred  "  whiskey,"  as  the  more  volatile  and  fiery  drink,  to 
the  "  Pulque,"  their  national  beverage.  I  observed  the  men  to 
drink  but  seldom,  while  the  women  kept  the  cup  and  bottle  con 
stantly  active  among  them.  Indeed,  it  is  proverbial  to  those 
familiar  with  the  general  characteristics  of  the  lower  and  middle 
classes  of  a  Mexican  population,  that  the  women  are  more  loose 
and  licentious  than  the  men.  It  is  not  at  all  astonishing,  there 
fore,  that  the  race  should  be  so  miserably  degenerate. 

The  most  hideously  revolting  object  I  know  of  is  a  drunken 
woman.  Man  may  brutalize  himself  very  far — may  be  prepared 
even  to  sell  his  "  birth-right ;"  but  so  long  as  God's  signature  of 
"  angel"  signed  in  the  calm  purity  of  woman's  brow  appeals  to 
him  mute  and  untarnished,  he  is  safe — there  is  everything  to 

11 


122 

hope  for  him.  But  to  think  of  a  nation  whose  women  are  inos* 
lecherous,  most  debauched  ! — need  we  be  surprised  at  anything 
in  such  a  people  ?  And  a  beautiful  woman  as  this  was !  To 
see  her  lolling  her  tongue — simpering  with  dripping  lips — blink- 
ing  and  leering  her  open  shame  upon  this  tinselled  miscreant — 
with  dark  large  eyes  that  might  have  won  back  a  soul  even  into 
him,  had  they  been  lit  with  the  soft,  lustrous  flame  of  innocent 


j°yf 


Oh,  what  a  mansion  have  the  vices  got, 
Which  for  their  habitation  chose  out  thee !' 


But  sentiment  is  all  thrown  away  upon  this  Mexican  slut. 
My  cheeks  fairly  burned,  though,  to  think  that  the  miserable 
wretch,  her  husband,  was  an  American,  who  had  drawn  the 
milk  of  an  honest  woman,  and  was  yet  alive,  though  so  immea 
surably  sunk — so  base  a  dastard  as  to  play  meek  second  to  a 
scene  like  this.  Yet  this  fellow  could  fight  Mexicans  and 
Indians,  and  was  called  a  man  on  this  frontier.  Her  domination 
over  the  brute  was  so  complete,  that  she  compelled  him  quietly 
to  submit  to  seeing  her  lavish  upon  Davis  those  caresses  he  had 
sacrificed  his  position  among  his  countrymen  to  buy.  I  hoped 
tii.  singular  passiveness  might  be  traced  to  some  cause  more 
honorable  to  his  manhood,  at  least ;  for  this  person  had  once 
held  a  station  of  dignity  in  one  of  the  governmental  institutions 
at  home,  and  had  received  the  diploma  of  one  of  our  oldest 
colleges.  I  was  fain  to  hope  that,  perhaps,  accident,  growing 
out  of  some  wild  frontier  scene,  had  placed  him  thus  inex 
plicably  in  the  power  of  the  "Euphuist" — anything,  rathei 
than  believe  such  infamy  on  the  part  of  a  countryman  voluntary 
Crime  and  license  can  strangely  distort  humanity. 

This  agreeable  trio  passed  on  to  the  Rancho  of  the  lieutenant, 
which  was  a  half-mile  below  on  the  river.  The  Texan  was  in  a 
very  surly  and  stupid  mood — the  consequence  of  the  over-night's 
excesses — and  we  could  get  but  little  out  of  him  concerning 
what  occurred  at  the  old  dame  o  Rancho  after  our  hasty  departure. 
A  muttered  fragment  now  and  then  was  all  we  could  get — such 
M — "  There  was  the  devil  to  pay  when  \cou  left ! — why  didn't 


123 

you  kill  Agatone  ? — had  as  much  trouble  as  if  you  had — Ola  hag 
—like  a  she  wild-cat !  Pretty  friends  you ! — left  me  among  five 
hundred  Yellow  Bellies. — Had  to  bleed  some — break  a  few  heads 
— let  me  alone  then,"  &c. 

I  concluded  he  had  a  rough  time  of  it  among  them  all,  ex- 
asperated  as  they  must  have  been ;  but  his  surly  coolness 
seemed  to  regard  the  idea  of  keeping  any  number  of  Mexicans  at 
bay  with  so  much  stolid  indifference,  that  I  forbore  to  question 
his  incommunicative  humor  any  further.  When  he  heard  it 
had  been  determined  we  should  start  to  Bexar  at  once  for  Hays, 
he  was  furious,  and  swore  at  first  that  he  would  not  go.  A  mule 
nad  been  provided  for  me,  and  I  had  mounted  to  start  alone,  when 
he  called  to  me  gruffly  to  wait  and  he  would  go  with  me.  He 
joined  me  in  a  few  minutes  without  his  gun.  My  gun  was  in  the 
house,  and  I  called  to  the  Colonel  to  bring  both  his  and  mine  with 
our  holsters,  when  the  fellow  snappingly  swore  that  "  he  would 
not  be  troubled  with  a  gun — there  was  no  danger — he  warn't 
afraid — warn't  a-going  to  be  troubled  with  lugging  a  gun  between 
here  and  Bexar!"*  I  was  annoyed  by  this  insinuation — my  boy 
ish  pride  took  fire  at  once  ;  and  although  I  knew  this  proposition 
to  be  the  result  of  the  present  splenetic  mood,  yet  feeling  a  little 
spleened  myself,  I  determined  to  see  him  through  on  his  own 
terms,  and  merely  said,  "  Very  well,  sir — as  you  choose." 

The  Colonel,  to  my  astonishment,  simply  because  he  was  too 
lazy  to  go  and  bring  the  weapons  for  us,  encouraged  this  silly  re 
solution  by  saying,  "  Yes,  go  along — there  is  no  danger  now — 
the  Comanches  have  been  driven  from  the  country,  and  you're  less 
likely  to  see  them  now  than  at  any  other  time."  We  turned  to 
go,  when  Bill  Johnson  shouted .  after  us,  "  Boys,  I  never  parts 
from  old  Sue  myself,  no  how — ner  goin'  nowhar;  no  tellin' 
what'll  turn  up — best  ter  keep  yer  eye  skinned,  and  be  always 
ready  !"  I  saw  the  good  sense  of  this  warning — it  was  too  late 
though.  The  stupid  whim  of  Texas  had  carried  the  day,  and  we 
must  abide  the  issue  ;  and  a  sufficiently  ridiculous  issue  it  was  ! 

We  had  scarcely  gone  half  the  distance,  when  we  met  one  of 
those  itinerant  Jesuit  priests  who  are  to  be  stumbled  upon  in  the 
most  out-of-the-way  places  in  Mexico—the  Far  West  and  North — 
«rho  gave  us  the  comfortable  information,  that  the  whole  country 


124 

between  us  and  Bexar  was  filled  with  Comanches,  who  wera 
scalping  and  slaying  the  Mexicans  right  and  left.  This  was 
something  of  a  poser.  The  benevolent  priest,  in  a  very  impres 
sive  manner,  urged  us  to  return  to  the  Colonel's  Rancho,  and  of- 
fered  us  the  protection  of  the  valiant  cohort  of  dirty,  ragged,  half- 
armed  Mexicans  who  accompanied  him  as  a  body-guard. 

I  saw  and  felt  at  once  the  entire  absurdity  of  attempting  to  pro 
ceed  under  such  circumstances,  and  was  about  to  accept  the  offer 
so  courteously  conveyed,  when  Texas,  in  the  insane  and  silly 
spirit  of  braggadocio,  characteristic  of  himself  and  his  country, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  throwing  the  odium  of  what  might  be  con 
strued  into  "  a  back-out"  upon  me,  insinuated  pretty  roundly  that 
he  "  did  not  care  for  the  Comanches — wanted  to  'get  on  to  Bexar 
—would  go  back  if  I  was  afraid,"  &c. 

This  was  low  spite,  the  result  of  a  lingering  reminiscence  of 
the  "  breakfast  scene,"  for  which  I  instantly  determined  to  punish 
him  severely ;  for  I  knew  that  these  wild,  ruffianly  fellows  who 
have  been  accustomed  to  depend  upon  their  guns  for  everything; 
seldom  stirring  out  without  them,  are  always  dread-fully  panic 
stricken  when  they  find  themselves  in  imminent  danger  and 
disarrned  ;  so  turning  my  mule  abruptly,  I  merely  said,  "  Come 
on,  sir:  I  intend  to  be  in  Bexar  in  the  shortest  possible  time." 
He  grew  white  as  a  sheet  at  this  unexpected  turn,  and  dashed 
past  me  at  desperate  speed.  The  old  priest,  who  perceived  there 
was  some  boyish  pique  at  the  bottom  of  this  madness,  waved  his 
hand  as  I  looked  back,  in  sad  adieu. 

Never  did  two  youngsters  repent  more  heartily  of  a  silly  whim 
than  we  did  of  thfs  before  reaching  Bexar.  So  soon  as  we  had 
leisure  enough  to  realize  the  predicament  we  had  placed  ourselves 
in,  our  imaginations  at  once  assumed  the  reins ;  and  we  had 
forthwith  populated  every  clump  of  trees  and  thicket  of  under 
brush  with  legions  of  Indians.  I  conjured  more  in  one  half-hour 
out  of  the  trunks  of  innocent  trees  than  I  had  seen  in  all  my 
life ;  and  when  we  suddenly  came  upon  the  body  of  a  Mexican 
they  had  scalped  a  short  time  before,  I  verily  believe  my  hair 
would  have  stood  on  end  had  not  the  feeling  of  terror  which  was 
possessing  me  been  somewhat  diverted  and  alleviated  by  a  glance 


125 

*t  the  wild  work  it  was  making  with  the  Texan's  face.     It  was 
absolutely  convulsed.     Had 

"  Harpies  and  hydras — all  the  sooty  fiends 
•  'Twixt  Africa  and  Ind" — 

been  flapping  their  scaly  pinions  about  his  ears,  he  could  not 
have  looked  more  desperately  frightened. 

I  was  greatly  comforted  and  relieved  at  this  sight,  and  forgot 
in  a  great  measure  my  own  burden  in  revelling  over  the  agonies 
with  which  he  bore  his.  The  case  was  bad  enough,  certainly. 
We,  on  an  open  plain,  entirely  unarmed,  when  such  work  as  this 
was  going  on  around  us  !  The  predicament  was  too  much  for 
Texas  at  last ;  and  in  a  whining  voice  he  proposed  that  we  should 
turn  aside,  and  stop  at  some  Mexican  Ranches  several  miles  off 
until  night  set  in.  I  was  sufficiently  relieved  at  having  this 
proposition  come  from  him,  not  to  render  it  necessary  for  him  to 
repeat  it.  Off  we  started  at  a  killing  pace,  and,  as  we  neared 
the  Ranchos,  had  the  gratification  of  nearly  losing  our  scalps  at 
the  very  gate.  The  Indians  were  driving  in  a  party  of  Mexicans 
before  their  lances,  and  bat  for  a  rush,  such  as  only  desperate 
men  could  have  made,  by  which  we  were  enabled  to  dash  in  pell- 
mell  with  "the  Mexicans,  we  should  have  been  shut  out,  and  paid 
for  our  rashness  with  our  blood  on  the  very  lintels  of  the  door  of 
safety.  In  addition,  we  had  to  run  the  risk  of  being  shot  by  the 
frightened  people  inside,  who,  astounded  by  our  sudden  appear 
ance,  took  us  for  Indians,  and  were  banging  at  us  through 
windows  and  port-holes  with  their  rusty  fusees  on  every  side, 
fortunately  for  us,  with  their  usual  bad  aim.  We  could  get  no 
arms  from  them,  and  were  fain  to  wait  till  night  set  in,  dark,  cold, 
and  stormy,  and  the'n  creep  out  and  make  our  way  with  fluttering 
hearts,  chattering  teeth,  and  otherwise  in  a  most  pitiable  plight, 
to  Bexar,  where  we  arrived  about  midnight. 

Late  as  it  was,  we  found  the  Rangers  up  and  collected  in 
Johnston's  bar-room,  for  a  carouse.  They  received  us  merrily, 
and  greeted  the  account  of  our  lugubrious  adventurings  with 
shouts  of  laughter.  They  had  been  in  pursuit  of  the  Comanches 
at  the  summons  of  the  half-frantic  Black  ;  and  in  the  effort  to 
intercept  had  missed  the  party,  concerning  which  we  gave  then 

11* 


126 

first  the  information  in  possession  of  the  reader.  When  they 
heard  the  fate  of  the  poor  boy,  they  sobered  down  instantly,  and 
deep  curses  and  stern  mutterings  were  heard  through  the  room  in 
place  of  boisterous  laughter. 

"  Poor  Black !"  said  Hays ;  "  his  is  a  hard  case  ;  he  has  been 
like  a  madman  ever  since  he  joined  us ;  I  am  afraid  this  will 
make  him  one  sure  enough.  Castro  will  pay  them  fellows  off  in 
full ;  he'll  receipt  'em."  We  then  told  him  about  the  affair  at 
the  fandango,  and  of  the  arrival  of  Bill  Johnson. 

"  Hah  !  Bill  is  there  ?  He's  worth  a  dozen  common  men ! 
Agatone  will  have  to  look  sharp.  There's  Bill,  Black,  and  the 
Colonel,  all  splendid  trailers  ;  either  would  give  his  right  hand 
for  a  fair  shot  at  that  fellow  !  Boys,  we'll  go  at  day-break .' 
Some  of  you  let  Black  know.  He's  at  Navarro's." 

The  thing  was  settled  as  coolly  as  if  it  had  been  a  fox-chase 
we  were  going  upon  ;  and  we  separated  to  get  a  few  hours' 
sleep.  We  were  up  before  daybreak  ;  and  in  about  half  an  hour 
the  yawning,  drowsy  members  of  the  party,  who  came  straggling 
in  through  the  lanes,  and  meeting  us  at  the  corners  of  the  streets, 
were  all  collected  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  ready  to  start. 
Looking  over  the  party,  which  consisted  of  eight  Americans, 
Hays  remarked,  "  Black  is  not  here  !" 

It  was  a  raw,  misty  morning,  and  at  the  moment  we  turned  to 
the  sound  of  a  horse's  feet,  and  saw  a  dim  figure  emerging  from 
one  of  the  lanes  of  the  suburb,  and  which  was  approaching  us  at 
full  speed.  "  There  he  is !"  and  in  another  instant  a  rider,  muffled 
in  a  coarse  green  blanket,  with  a  wolf-skin  cap  drawn  down  over 
his  eyes,  dashed  through  our  party,  and  without  speaking  a  word 
plunged  into  the  water  at  the  ford.  "  Poor  fellow,  he's  wild  this 
morning !"  said  Hays,  in  a  low  voice,  as  we  all  followed  him  into 
the  water.  In  perfect  silence  the  man  lashed  and  urged  his  horse 
up  the  bank,  and  when  we  reached  the  top  we  could  see  him 
going  at  full  speed  over  the  plain,  sitting  stiffly  in  the  saddle,  with 
his  chin  fallen  upon  his  breast  and  his  rifle  lying  balanced  across 
the  pummel  before  him.  In  a  short  time  he  was  out  of  view 
though  we  were  in  a  brisk  gallop. 

In  about  an  hour,  at  a  short  turn  of  the  trail,  among  the 
thickets,  we  came  close  upon  him.  sitting  in  the  same  rigid 


127 

position,  while  his  horse  crept  along  at  a  snail's  pace.  As  we 
clattered  by  him,  he  roused  himself  an  instant,  urged  his  horse 
into  the  same  headlong  speed,  and  before  he  again  passed  out  of 
sight  hi?  figure  seemed  once  more  frozen  in  the  seat.  No  word 
had  passed.  There  was  something  inexpressibly  mourn f«\,  and, 
to  me,  exciting  in  this  strange  ride.  That  stricken,  fitful  man 
seemed  madly  flying  before  us,  as  if  we  personated  to  him  the 
shades  of  his  ^murdered  family,  chasing  him  with  wails  for 
vengeance ;  shades  that  he  felt  could  not  be  laid  ever  again,  but 
with  blood  f  The  whole  party  were  chilled  ind  saddened  by  it, 
and  as  no  time  was  lost  in  conversation,  we  were  at  the  Rancho 
before  I  realized  that  half  the  distance  had  been  gone  over. 


128 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
A   TRAILIN'   PARTY 


THEY  were  an  ready  and  met  us ;  the  Colonel,  with  the  grin 
of  "  a  belly-pinched  wolf,"  who  had  caught  the  scent  of  slaughter 
on  the  air,  and  Bill  with  a  smothered  chuckling,  "  He  !  he  !  Glad 
yer  came,  boys  !  Kern's  blooded  him  !" 

"Who;  Agatone?" 

"  Yes  !  Tonque's  found  whar  he  laid  down  jest  er  little  er  the 
Jye-stuff  about !" 

"  We'll  get  him,  .Bill,  won't  we  ? 

"  Can't  tell,  Captain  Jack — cussed  sly  varmint,  that  Agatone  ! 
He's  tuck  to  water,  and  the  Tonque  lost  him !" 

"Oh,  we'll  bring  him  out  of  that,  Bill!  Come,  boys — all 
ready  ?" 

"  All  ready !" 

I  saw  Black  sitting  on  a  log  by  his  horse,  his  head  bowed  jn 
his  knees,  his  rifle  across  his  lap.  When  he  heard  this,  he 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  at  one  bound  was  in  the  saddle  and  away. 

We  were  off  at  a  canter ;  the  Tonquoway  and  Bill  leading 
after  Black,  who  kept  on  far  ahead ;  the  Indian  on  horseback 
and  Bill,  who  scorned  a  horse,  swinging  those  massive  limbs  of 
his  along  with  marvellous  ease  in  huge,  rapid  strides.  It  was  a 
most  picturesque  scene,  that  party,  mounted  on  horses  of  all  sizes 
and  colors ;  the  Colonel  had  by  this  time  obtained  a  very  good 
one  for  me  ;  our  costume  a  singular  blending  of  civilized  back 
woods  and  Mexican  taste ;  our  arms  gleaming  in  the  sunshine 
and  our  steeds  curvetting  and  plunging  over  the  wave-like  undu. 
lations  of  the  ocean  meadows. 


129 

We  had  progressed  in  this  way  over  a  lovely  region  for  about 
two  hours,  when,  just  as  we  were  getting  among  the  hills,  and 
the  scenery  becoming  wilder,  we  unexpectedly  found  ourselves 
drawn  up  on  a  bluff  bank  of  the  San  Antonio  river.  Here  the 
trail  was  lost.  When  we  descended  to  the  water's  edge,  there 
were  evidences  on  this  side  of  a  camp,  and  the  tracks  led  from  it 
to  the  water ;  but  there  were  no  traces  on  the  other  side  of  their 
coming  out.  This  puzzled  all  parties  the  more,  as  the  banks  of 
the  river  were  bluff  and  very  high  on  both  sides  for  a  number  of 
miles  above  and  below,  and  the  gorge  just  at  this  point  was  the 
only  place  where  it  could  be  crossed.  Bill  said  the  "  varmint J> 
must,  have  been  turned  4p  an  otter,  and  that  there  was  some  sly 
hole  in  the  bluffs  he  had  swum  to  and  hid  in.  We  crossed  and 
scattered  up  and  down  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  to  look  for 
the  trail  ;  but  after  an  hour's  search  we  all  met  again,  and 
concluded  we  were  nonplussed  in  that  quarter,  at  least.  This 
gorge  opened  into  a  deep  winding  valley,  flanked  on  either  hand 
by  knolls,  forming  an  irregular  ridge  covered  with  live  oak.  Bill 
thought  that,  "  unless  Old  Harry  had  flew'd  away  with  him,  he 
must  leave  a  sign  across  this  here  ditch !" — which,  by  the  by, 
was  from  a  half-mile  to  a  mile  in  width ;  so  the  orders  were  tc 
stretch  our  line  from  foot  to  foot  of  the  ridges  and  breast  it  up  the 
valley. 

The  spies  went  on  ahead,  while  we  breasted  up  the  valley — 
Black,  in  his  moody,  headlong,  silent  way,  accompanying  them. 
The  only  incident  for  several  hours  was  the  pulling  down  of  a 
fine  buck,  in  full  view  of  us,  by  two  large  wolves.  They  had 
been  running  the  gallant  animal,  I  suppose,  for  many  hours,  and 
when  he  broke  suddenly  into  the  valley  they  were  but  a  few 
paces  behind,  and  so  intent  as  not  to  notice  us.  Their  tongues 
were  all  out,  and  they  ran  very  slow.  We  stopped.  One  of  the 
wolves  seized  his  haunch :  he  wheeled  and  plunged  heavily  at 
them  with  his  fore-feet  and  antlers.  They  avoided  his  charge, 
and  one  of  them  rushed  at  his  throat ;  in  an  instant  he  was  down 
and  killed.  The  men  were  very  anxious  to  shoot,  and  tho 
Colonel  and  Hays  tried  :o  prevent  them  j  but  bang  !  bang !  went 
two  guns,  and  the  wolves  tumbled  over. 

We   were  getting  fired,   and   had   despaired  of  finding    th* 


130 

Mexicans,  and  discipline,  never  at  any  time  much  regarded,  was 
at  an  end.  We  were  riding  very  slowly,  waiting  for  the  spies, 
who  were  still  on  ahead,  when  I,  utterly  worried  out  by  the 
fatiguing  slowness  of  our  progress,  galloped  off  in  advance  ;  and 
seeing,  some  distance  further,  a  very  remarkable-looking  knoll, 
covered  with  cedars,  which  rose  abruptly  from  the  centre  of  the 
valley,  I  made  for  it  alone,  with  the  intention  of  enjoying  the 
view  from  the  top  and  joining  the  party  as  they  passed.  My 
horse  climbed  the  steep  sides  with  difficulty,  and  when  I  reached 
the  top,  a  more  paradisaical  view  never  burst  upon. the  eye  of 
mortal  than  this  which  rewarded  my  trouble  and  risk.  As  I 
stood  gazing  enraptured  over  it,  my  eye  was  attracted  by  some 
object  moving  on  the  comb  of  the  opposite  ridge,  just  where  it 
was  defined  clearly  against  the  sky.  I  felt  my  heart  jump,  and 
on  looking  steadily  I  could  clearly  distinguish  the  outline  of  a 
horseman  wearing  the  Mexican  sombrero,  who  seemed  to  be 
endeavoring  to  screen  himself  behind  a  tree  from  objects  below 
that  he  was  trying  to  get  a  good  look  at. 

There  was  something  even  in  the  distant  outline  that  reminded 
me  of  the  cloaked  figures  at  the  fandango.  I  understood  the 
whole  thing  in  an  instant.  The  Mexicans  had  outwitted  us,  and 
our  whole  course  had  been  watched  by  their  spies,  of  whom  this 
was  one.  The  cedars  concealed  me,  and  my  resolve  was  taken 
in  an  Instant.  I  descended  on  the  side  opposite,  and  happily  met 
our  party  just  rounding  the  hill  on  that  side.  My  news  was  told 
and  the  action  instantaneous.  We  were  out  of  sight  of  him  now, 
and  he  would  wait  our  coming  out  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill. 

Hays,  who  now  waked  up  and  showed  what  he  was,  with  the 
Bravo  and  myself,  plunged  under  cover  of  the  bush  at  the  foot  of 
the  ridge,  where  the  dry  bed  of  a  stream  ran,  and  rode  back  with 
the  intention  of  crossing  the  valley  when  we  were  high  enough 
up  to  be  out  of  his  view ;  and  then  mounting  the  ridgy  he  was 
MI,  to  come  up  on  the  other  side,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  rode 
ilowly  and  carelessly  ahead  as  they  had  been  doing  before.  He 
thought  that  if  we  got  the  spy  hemmed  in  and  frightened,  he 
would  dash  right  for  his  camp  and  lead  us  in. 

The  manoeuvre  was  admirably  carried  put.  The  fellow 
suspected  nothing,  but  cautiously  crept  after  the  a  dvancing  party, 


131 

who  laughed,  and  talked,  and  sang  with  the  best  possible  affecta 
tion  of  unconsciousness.  His  chuckling  consciousness  of  sue. 
cessful  cunning  was  most  unpleasantly  broken  in  upon  when  we 
shouted,  which  was  to  be  the  signal  to  the  other  party,  and  he 
«?aw  himself  inclosed  on  both  sides  and  no  chance  to  run  for  it, 
but  the  top  of  the  ridge,  which  kept  him  in  full,  view  of  each.  He 
broke  off,  though,  at  his  speed,  the  two  parties  keeping  parallel 
with  him.  The  object  was  not  to  catch  him  at  once  ;  but  after 
Jesting  our  speed  sufficiently  to  see  that  we  could  close  with  him 
when  we  pleased,  we  held  up,  and  let  him  think  he  had  some 
chance  of  escape ;  believing  he  would  make  for  camp  if  we  gave 
him  play. 

Hays  was  right,  as  usual ;  and  in  a  little  after  we  had  fallen 
back,  he  left  the  ridge  suddenly  and  made  across  the  plain,  on  the 
side  we  were,  towards  a  blue  and  hazy  line  of  timber. 

"  There's  the  camp,  in  them  woods !"  said  Hays,  joyfully. 
"  Go  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  beckon  to  the  boys,  Kentuck !" 

I  complied.  They  were  justv  hesitating  what  to  do,  when, 
seeing  my  gestures,  with  a  shout  they  took  the  hill.  Now  we 
had  it.  The  fellow  had  got  a  half-mile  the  start,  and  it  wouldn't 
do  to  let  him  get  in  before  us  and  give  the  alarm. 

"  We  must  close  up  and  go  in  on  his  heels  !" 

A  single  figure  was  perceived  galloping  down  from  the  ridge 
after  us,  with  tremendous  speed.  He  soon  joined  us :  it  was 
Black.  The  raven  had  scented  the  slaughter  from  afar  !  He  was 
coming  to  meet  us,  and  had  turned  the  spy  from  the  ridge. 

Our  horses  were  strained  to  the  top  of  their  mettle.  There 
was  no  more  shouting ;  every  faculty  was  wrought  into  the 
intensity  of  the  exciting  chase.  We  were  all  in  a  body  now,  and 
our  pace  began  to  tell  in  lessening  the  half-mile  ;  the  woods  we 
were  making  for  began  to  grow  more  distinct,  and  by  the  time 
the  trunks  stood  out  separately,  we  were  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  him.  Now  the  lash  flew,  and  every  nerve  was  strained. 

"  Look  there,"  said  the  Colonel,  pointing  to  a  flock  of  buzzards, 
perched  upon  a  tree  ;  "  that  shows  their  camp  !  We've  got  'em 
at  last  !" 

And  with  a  savage  oath  he  jerked  his  hat  from  his  head,  put  it 
under  his  seat,  and  looked  at  his  gun.  With  a  stunning  whoop 


132 

— for  we  now  saw  their  horses,  which  had  been  turned  loose 
to  graze — Black,  who  was  ahead,  fired  at  the  poor  spy,  for 
we  had  got  all  out  of  him  we  wanted ;  and  trampling  over  his 
writhing  body,  we  swept  like  a  thunder-gust  through  a  line  of 
bushes  into  an  open  space  surrounded  by  thickets.  There 
were  about  fifty  men  springing  from  the  ground,  where  they  had 
been  lying,  and  in  every  attitude  and  expression  of  fright, 
surprise,  and  consternation — some  stopping  to  fire  at  us,  others 
running  on  their  hands  and  feet,  rolling  and  plunging  into  the^ 
bushes. 

I  remember  seeing  Black  throw  himself  over  his  horse's  head 
among  them  first,  and  like  a  frantic  wild  beast  strike  right  and 
left  with  his  long  rifle-barrel,  crushing  in  a  skull  at  every  blow, 
and  then  disappear  raging  through  the  bushes  in  pursuit  of  three 
or  four  huddled  and  scrambling  wretches. 

It  was,  throughout,  a  terrible  and  rapid  scene :  the  ring  of 
rifles  and  roar  of  the  Mexican  musket — the  dismounting — the 
clubbed  guns — the  fight  hand-to-hand — the  scream  for  mercy, 
smothered  in  the  death-groan — the  crashing  through  the  brush — 
the  pursuit — every  man  for  himself  with  his  enemy  in  view — the 
scattering  on  every  side — the  sounds  of  battle  dying  away  into  a 
pistol-shot  here  and  there  through  the  wood,  and  a  shriek — the 
collecting  again,  and  the  shouts  of  laughter  as  one  man  after 
another  would  come  panting  into  the  clear  place  with  the  trophies 
of  his  slain,  or  without  them,  as  it  happened. 

Black  came  tumbling  out,  covered  with  gore  and  sweat — his 
eyes  glaring  wildly — his  dripping  knife  in  one  hand — his  rifle- 
barrel,  bent  and  smeared  with  brains  and  hair,  in  the  other — his 
pistols  still  in  his  belt,  untouched.  He  threw  himself  sullenly 
upon  the  grass,  his  head  resting  on  the  body  of  a  dead  Mexican — 
jerked  the  wolf-skin  cap  down  over  his  swarthy  brow,  and  in  an 
instant  was  as  still  and  silent  as  the  corpse.  Nobody  spoke  to 
him,  and  the  reckless,  unseasonable  mirth  was  for  an  instant 
checked,  as  we  all  turned  silently  and  looked  at  him. 

The  Colonel  was  the  last  to  come  back,  and  came  with  bloody 
hands,  foaming  and  stamping  with  rage,  for  Agatone  had  not  beea 
found,  and  had  probably  escaped  ! 


133 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

* 

BILL    JOHNSON    <' STUMPED." 

WE  lost  sight,  in  the  headstrong  action  of  the  incidents  last 
described,  of  our  long-sided  friend,  Bill  Johnson.  So  soon  as  all 
were  assembled,  we  missed  him,  and  some  one  shouted — 

"  Where's  Bill,  the  old  coon,  gone  to  ?  He  wan't  born  to  be 
killed  by  a  Mexican,  sure  !" 

"  Ah !"  said  the  Colonel,  "  don't  fash  your  brains  about  Bill. 
He's  up  to  a  thing  or  two.  Warrant  you  he's  nosing  the  right 
trail.  He  came  out  after  Agatone  !" 

At  the  name  of  Agatone,  Black  sprang  half  erect,  and  shouted 
hoarsely — 

"  Leave  me  !  leave  me  !  I  tore  out  all  their  hearts,  but  could, 
not  find  his !"  then,  muttering  inaudibly  to  himself,  fell  back. 
All  paused  a  moment. 

"  Didn't  he  go  out  with  the  spies  ?"  asked  the  Bravo,  in  a  low 
voice. 

"  No  !"  said  Hays.  "  He  never  left  the  river,  but  struck  off 
through  the  woods,  up  the  bank.  He  went  for  another  look. 
Bill  didn't  feel  easy  'bout  our  losing  that  trail  yesterday.  It  was 
strange,  boys,  wan't  it  ?  These  were  his  fellows,  but  Agatone 
wan't  here.  Bill  will  tell  the  tale  about  him."  - 

"  Yes,"  muttered  the  Colonel ;  "  if  he'd  have  been  under  a 
leaf  here,  I'd  have  found  him.  I  killed  two  of  the  rascals  that 
looked  like  him,  anyhow  !" 

"  Colonel,  you  mean  to  make  a  coffee-cup  of  his  skull,  don't 
you  ?"  said  the  Bravo,  laughing. 

*  Hell !  no ;  I'll  save  it  to  put  a  ball  through  once  a  week,  to 
keep  my  hand  in." 


13 

"  ft  will  beat  the  skull  Hamlet  talked  to,  in  « eyelet-holes,'  all 
hollow,  then !"  laughed  Fitzgerald. 

Here  one  of  the  men  sprang  forward,  with  an  exclamation  of  pain 
rubbing  the  calf  of  his  leg,  from  which  the  blood  was  streaming. 
We  had  all  been  grouped  near  the  body  of  a  Mexican,  who 
seemed  to  be  dead.  His  hand  clutched  a  bloody  knife— the  last 
spasm  wa»on  him,  and  the  death-rattle  in  his  throat,  when  we 
turned ;  he  had  made  one  dying  blow  for  vengeance. 

"  That  d— d  yaller-belly  is  playing  possum,"  said  the  Colonel. 
"Kill  him!" 

"  He  won't  play  possum  any  more,"  said  the  Bravo,  quietly 
drawing  a  bead  on  him  with  his  pistol,  which  he  fired,  and  blew 
out  the  smoke  as  coolly  as  if  he  had  been  practising  at  a  mark. 

The  Colonel  turned  him  over  with  his  foot.  The  man  was 
dead  before  the  shot. 

"  There,  Bravo !  you've  lost  a  load !  Jim,"  said  he  to  the 
wounded  man,  "  split  his  shirt  off,  to  tie  up  that  scratch  with." 

So  these  hard  men  talked,  and  joked,  and  laughed,  as  if  death 
were  a  bridegroom,  and  his  seeming  in  the  body  of  a  Mexican  a 
merry  masking  ! 

We  found,  on  comparing  notes,  that  thirteen  Mexicans  had 
been  killed,  but  no  prisoners  taken ;  for  it  was  war  to  the  knife 
with  these  robbers.  The  dense  thicket  around  their  camp  had 
favored  the  escape  of  the  rest.  We  collected  together  their 
horses,  and  the  plunder  they  had  left  behind.  The  escopets  the 
men  broke  and  threw  away ;  the  saddles,  and  indeed  all  the 
horse  equipments,  were  very  handsome,  and  the  party  valuec 
them  exceedingly.  All  the  frontier  Americans  prefer  Mexicar 
horse-furniture  to  their  own.  It  is  the  most  complete  and  admir 
able  I  have  ever  met  with,  and  is  the  only  point  in  which  the 
Mexicans  excel,  except  in  the  use  of  the  short  knife  and  the  lasso. 
These  things,  and  the  horses,  were  distributed  by  lot,  after  having 
been  divided  into  as  many  equal  shares  as  there  were  men,  reserv 
ing  one  a-piece  for  Bill  and  the  spies.  When  Black  was  called 
upon  to  choose,  he  merely  shook  his  head  and  groaned.  Each  man 
had  stripped  the  person  of  his  enemy  as  he  fell  of  whatever  was 
valuable  to  him,  and  thea  left  him  for  the  buzzards  and  wolves. 
Several  of  the  men  had  been  slightly  wounded,  but  hats  and 


135 

horses  suffered  more  than  our  bodies  y  for  the  Mexicans,  as  usual, 
shot  everywhere  else  but  in  the  right  place.  Amid  a  great  deal 
of  loud  talking  and  merriment,  at  the  expense  of  the  marksman 
ship  of  the  poor  wretches,  the  ghastly  ceremonial  of  "  casting  lota 
for  the  garments  of  the  slain"  was  got  through  with  at  last ;  and 
with  the  price  of  blood  gathered  together  in  transportable  order, 
we  started  on  our  return,  and  could  hear  the  sharp  snarling  and 
see  the  battles  of  the  wolves  over  the  dead  before  we  were  two 
hundred  yards  off.  I  do  not  wonder  that  superstition  has  chosen 
these  vile  animals  as  the  favorite  agents  of  her  most  horrible 
legends.  There  is  a  sneaking  malignity  about  the  tawny  front, 

"  Whose  downward  eye  still  looketh  for  a  grave," 

mingled  with  a  fell  sagacity  leading  them  with  almost  infallible 
certainty  in  the  wake  of  slaughter,  which  is  very  well  calculated 
to  awake  strange  associations  in  those  who  observe  them  on  their 
native  wilds. 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  get  rid  of  the  idea  that  they  must 
have  beer,  glaring  out  upon  us,  with  their  green  and  charnel  eyes, 
from  the  dark  thickets,  as  we  rode  past  that  morning,  and  read 
with  wizard  shrewdness  in  our  flashing  arms  and  on  our  brows, 
through  all  the  mockery  of  merriment,  that  human  passions  were 
forth  upon  the  chase  of  death,  and  that  they  grinned  their  white 
tusks  and  lapped  their  thirsty  jaws  in  fierce  exulting  over  the 
feast  of  blood  to  come,  and  slunk,  and  watched,  and  crawled 
upon  our  trail,  and  sent  the  jolly  tidings  round  to  all  their  hungry 
brothers,  that  they  might  be  in  at  the  revel !  How  they  must 
love  the  man  of  blood  I  Sure  it  was  in  recompense  for  this  thej-- 
came  that  night  in  bands  around  our  camp,  to  lull  our  drearr 
with  pleasant  roundelays,  and  wailed  such  horrid  choruses  as 

"  Blue  meagre  hag,  nor  stubborn  ghost, 
Nor  goblin,  nor  swart  fairy  of  the  mine," 

heard  ever  yet  resound,  that  they  might  foot  it  by,  beneath  the 
"  visiting  moon,"  or  the  black,  dripping  arches  of  deep  caverns ! 

Black  had  long  since  left  us,  galloping  off  by  himself.     We 
had  ridden  several  hours  on  our  return,  and  were  beginning  to 


136 

near  the  gorge  where  we  had  crossed  the  river,  when  Hays, 
pointing  suddenly  towards  the  sky,  said — 

"  Look,  boys !  there  is  news  !" 

I  looked,  and  could  see  nothing  but  a  thin  column  of  smoke  that 
shot  up  to  mingle  with  the  clouds. 

"  How  is  that  news  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Ha,  ha !  Kentuck,"  said  Fitz,  "  you're  a  poor  benighted 
being.  As  yet,  you  '  see  through  a  glass  darkly,'  and  a  green 
one  at  that.  Don't  you  know  that  is  what  the  old  saying,  f  I 
smoke  you,'  for  '  I  understand,'  *  I've  found  you  out,'  comes  from  ? 
That's  a  telegraph,  sir !  sent  up,  I  suppose,  by  Bill,  to  let  the 
Colonel  know  that  he  has  caught  his  '  otter ! '  " 

"  But  how  can  you  know  it  is  Bill  ?" 

"  Oh,"  says  Hays,  "  we've  seen  Bill's  smoke  too  often  not  to 
know  it  as  well  as  we  know  his  long  tracks,  or  his  whoop." 

"  Yes,"  said  Fitz,-"  Bill's  a  great  artist  at  getting  up  smoke. 
He'll  smoke  you  the  Mexicans  or  Comanches — good  news  or 
bad  news — by  throwing  on  an  armful  of  green  moss  to  make  a 
very  black  column  when  the  c  Old  Harry'  himself  is  to  pay  in 
person,  or  simply  a  handful  when  it's  only  one  of  his  y^ung  ones 
out,  or  dry  sticks  when  he  would  merely  say,  *  Here  I  am  !'  It's 
well  to  keep  your  *  gaze  turned  heavenward'  when  Bill  is  scout 
ing  for  Comanches ;  for  when  he  discovers  them  he  sends  up  a 
dark  puff  that  lasts  about  ten  seconds,  and  looks  like  a  whiff 
from  the  sulphur-pipe  of  '  the  gentleman  in  black.'  He  says  it 
don't  do  to  favor  the  Comanches  by  smoking  long,  for  the'r 
glimpsers  is  tarnal  keen  !" 

We  soon  rounded  an  angle  of  the  valley,  which  brought  us  in 
sight  of  the  river  from  the  top  of  its  shelving  bank,.  About  half 
way  down  to  the  water,  on  a  projecting  rock,  the  gaunt,  leather- 
clad  figure  of  Bill  was  stretched.  He  was  leaning  on  his  elbow, 
with  his  gun  between  his  legs,  and  slowly  dropping  dry  sticks 
into  a  small  fire  that  burned  before  him.  He  was  on  his  feet  in 
an  instant  as  the  sound  of  our  horses'  feet  reached  his  ears.  We 
galloped  down  the  hill,  with  cheerings  and  shouts,  and  were  soon 
dismounted  around  the  old  fellow — everybody  talking,  and  no 
body  listening.  Perfectly  unmoved,  Bill  looked  round  upon  us 
all  with  a  stare  of  something  like  astonishment,  that  anything 


137 

could  possibly  happen  in  the  world  Worth  talking  so  fast  about ; 
for  the  party,  anticipating  fun  from  his  disclosures  and  manner 
of  making  them,  had  thrown  off  the  impassiveness  common  to  such 
men,  for  a  mischievous  motive. 

"  Pish,  boys  !"  said  he  at  last ;  "  ye'r  jest  like  a  litter  er  otter 
pups  slid'n  down  a  bank,  ter  ker-slowsh  in  the  water !  I'm 
'shamed  er  ye.  If  I'd  er  killed  Old  Wooden-leg  I  wouldn't  er 
made  all  this  kerousin'  tu  it !" 

"  Well,  but,  Bill,"  laughed  Fitz,  "  what's  become  of  the  « otter 
yer  went  after  ?  We've  got  our  pelts — where's  yours,  old  wolf- 
dog  ?  You've  no  right  to  show  your  teeth  !" 

"  Yes,  where's  the  fur,  Bill  ?  where's  the  fur  ?"  was  shouted 
around  him. 

"  I  reck'n  this  ere'll  count  fur,"  said  he,  slowly  drawing 
from  his  bosom  a  gold  cross-hiked  Spanish  stiletto.  "  I  don't 
stink  up  my  fingers  a  skinning  such  varmints  !  Here's  the  brush 
ter  show  !" 

"  Colonel !"  shouted  the  Bravo,  "  he's  got  him  !  Now  for  your 
coffee-cup !" 

"  Now  for  the  eyelet-holes  !"  said  Fitz. 

"  Blazes  and  hell !  you  haven't  killed  him,  Bill  ?"  growled  the 
Colonel,  in  an  angry,  disappointed  voice. 

"  What's  the  matter  now,  Colonel  ?"  shouted  every  one,  in  as 
tonishment. 

"  I  wanted  to  do  that  myself,"  said  he,  sulkily. 

"  Nateral  enough,"  said  Bill.  "  But  I  can't  say,  Kern,  as  I 
should  er  tied  him  to  bring  him  in  to  ye !  I'd  a  kinder  hankerin' 
that  way  myself!" 

"  What !  didn't  you  get  him  at  last  ?"  exclaimed  several  at 
once.  "  Whose  fine  frog-sticker  is  that  ?" 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Bill,  coolly  taking  his  seat  on  the  rock, 
"  if  yer'll  jest  make  yerselves  easy,  and  don't  bother  me  with 
talking',  I'll  tell  yer  all  about  it — the  tarnalest  strangest  thing  as 
ever  com'd  in  my  knowin' !" 

There  was  a  general  settling  down  on  all  sides  at  this. 

"  Out  with  it,  old  slow-track  !  You  nosed  up  Agatone,  did 
you,  and  he  got  away  ?"  said  Fitz,  mischievously. 

12* 


138 

"  Thar  ye  go,  yer  Irish  spread-mouth,"  said  Bill.  "  Shut  oj 
your  bone-trap,  will  ye  ? 

"  Well,"  he  continued,  "  I  took  on  considerable  'bout  losing 
that  ere  trail  last  night.  Thinks  I — Bill  Johnson  oughtn't  ter  be 
flung  out  by  such  a  little  dried  monkey.  So  I  takes  old  Sue,  and 
snsaks  off  up  the  river,  for  I  seed  them  tracks  in  the  water  was 
goin'  up  stream.  Thinks  I,  up  one  side  and  down  the  other,  fur 
enough,  and  I'll  find  his  mark.  So  I  went  on  up  'bout  five  miles, 
till  I  passed  all  yer  tracks  whar  ye  made  galloping  up  and  down ; 
then  I  look'd  out  spry.  Thinks  I,  honey,  but  ye  had  a  splather- 
ation  uv  it,  as  Fitz,  thar,  says " 

"  Don't  slander  my  English,  Bill.     Go  on." 

"  Er  wadin'  all  this  way  up  that  cussed  river,  where  a  decent 
horse  can't  cross,  'cept  'casiorially.  'Bout  a  half-mile  further 
on,  1  seen  some  drift-wood  tolerable  near  cross  the  river.  Thinks 
I,  now  yer  begin  to  make  figures  whar  I  can  count.  Sure  enough, 
two  horse-tracks  were  comin'  out  o'  the  water !  I  foller'd  'em 
awhile,  till  they  stops  and  tramps  'round  considerable ;  then  one 
takes  square  off  ter  th'  right — t'other  keeps  up  the  bank.  I  follers 
the  one  out,  till  I  comes  to  a  loose  horse,  hurt  mightily  behind 
with  a  big  ball,  Kern,  like  six-shooter !" 

The  Colonel  nodded,  and  Bill  went  on  : 

"  I  goes  back  to  the  bank,  and  tuck  th'  single  track.  'Twas 
on  this  side.  I  follers  it  'bout  a  mile,  when,  what  do  ye  think, 
boys !  a  trail  comes  in,  straight  from  the  Ranchos ;  and  they 
stops  there  together  considerable,  for  both  their  horses  dunged, 
and  it  war  both  the  same  age  ;  and  there  war  a  man's  track  on 
the  ground.  Thinks  I,  swappin'  double.  That's  Agatone  !  It's 
a  little  track — got  one  of  six-shooter's  pills  in  him — can't  ride 
alone !  But  who  th'  darnation  war  that  feller  who  struck 
in?" 

"  Colonel,"  said  Hays  quietly,  "  wasn't  Davis  about  when  we 
left  your  Rancho  ?" 

"  Yes.  I  wanted  to  kill  him  the  day  he  come,  but  the  boya 
wouldn't  let  me !" 

Nothing  more  was  said,  but  a  cold  scowl  settled  upon  the 
faces  of  the  men,  and  they  gripped  their  rifles  hard,  till  their 
knuckles  grew  white  ;  while  Bill  went  on  with  his  story : 


139 

"  They  kept  on,  Alongside.  1  followed  till  the  trail  war  cornc 
to  Big-Bend  bottom.  I  was  sneakin'  'long  through  the  thnber; 
when  I  heard  men  talk — couldn't  see  'em  for  the  bushes  ;  and 
there  war  'twixt  me  and  them  a  cussed  swamp  bayou  with  an 
old  log  'cross  it.  Thinks  I,  now  for  it !  Bill  Johnson's  here, 
and  old  Sue !  So  I  takes  the  old  log.  It  did  look  kinder 
'spiciousj  but  there  wa'n't  no  other  way.  Cudjump,  I  went,  into 
the  black  mud  and  green  water ;  the  cantankerous  log  snarled 
right  in  two.  The  fellers  hearn  it,  and  broke.  I  seen  a  glimpse 
of  fefti — there  war  three—one  ridin'  behind.  You  kaow,  boys, 
I'm  somethin'  on  my  pegs.  So  I  shook  the  stink  off,  and  twod- 
dled  through  them  brush,  a  little  particular.  I  don't  mind  horses 
in  runnin'.  In  'bout  a  mile  I  glimpsed  'em  ag'in.  I  seen  whar 
they  were  makin,'  and  headed  'em.  Thar  war  but  two — goin' 
like  streaks  through  the  trees.  Old  Sue  winked  at  th'  hinder 
one,  and  he  jumped  astonishin',  clean  up  out  oj  the  saddle ! 
T'other  one  had  somethin'  red  on  his  cloak,  and  maybe  he  didn't 
skoot  t  The  feller  had  done  kickin',  as  usual  for  old  Sue,  when 
I  got  to  him,  and  couldn't  tell  no  tales.  But  he  wa'n't 
Agatone  !  nor  the  other  wa'n't — for  he  war  taller.  Whar  on 
earth  the  little  weasel-face  could  a'  got  to,  is  more  nor  I  can 
tell !" 

This  created  considerable  stir  in  the  party,  who  drew  long 
breaths,  and  shifted  their  positions ;  while  Fitz  interrupted  him 
maliciously  with — 

"  What,  Bill !  haven't  you  got  the  green  out  of  your  eye  yet  ? 
Why,  they  pushed  him  up  a  tree,  to  be  sure  !" 

"  Thar  ye  ar'  ag'in,  ye  waw-mouthed  bog-trotter !  May  ye 
be  chased  to  death  with  a  snake-skin  to  yer  tail !  Don't  ye  know 
Bill  Johnson  thunk  o'  all  that  ?  I  tuck  this  thingamy  out  o'  his 
bosom,  and  went  back  on  the  trail  to  where  I  took  across.  Thar 
wa'n't  no  sign  whar  they  had  stopped  close  to  a  tree  to  shove 
him  up,  nor  no  tracks  whar  he'd  tuck  the  ground !  Bill  Johnson 
looked,  and  thar  war  no  mistake !  Tarnation  take  me  if  I  can 
see  any  way  he'i  got  off,  'less  he  flew!  That  old  devil's 
squaw,  Cavillo,  rid  him  off  on  her  broomstick — that's  how  il 
war !" 


140 

Bill  said  this  with  such  solemn  earnestness,  that  Fitz  ano 
myself  burst  into  a  loud  laugh* 

"  Shet  yer  purtater-trap,  will  ye  ?  Kentuck,  I  thought  ye  war 
better  mannered  !  It's  no  laughin'  matter,  boys.  I  tell  ye,  Bill 
Johnson  believes  it.  She  looks  kinder  stewed,  anyhow,  as  if  all 
the  juice  war  dried  up,  drinkin'  hot  sulphur;  and  she's  got  evil 
fire  in  her  eyes;  that's  red  like  old  Sue's  mouth  when  she  speaks. 
Ain't  it  so,  Kern  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  and  I'll  ease  her  down  to  old  Split-hoof's  hug,  some  of 
these  days,  so  that  she'll  stay  there  !  Bill,  this  is  a  deuce  of  a 
strange  tale !  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Hays  ?" 

"  I  think  so,  too  !  If  it  had  been  anybody  else  but  Bill  trailing, 
I  should  have  thought,  with  Fitz,  that  they  had  just  stuck 
Agatone  up  in  a  tree,  among  the  moss,  and  galloped  on.  But 
Bill  looked,  and  if  Bill  is  stumped,  none  of  us  could  have  done 
anything.  The  little  rascal's  smart,  sure !  He's  thrown  out  the 
best  trailer  ever  I  saw  twice  in  twenty-four  hours — wounded,  at 
that !  But,  Colonel,  that  red  on  the  cloak  proves  it  was  Davis 
that  helped  them.  Bad  business  !" 

"  There  now,  Kentuck,"  said  the  Colonel  to  me,  "  if  you  hadn't 
been  so  handy  with  your  humanity,  it  would  have  saved  us  the 
trouble  of  killing  that  cur  now." 

"  But  would  have  spoiled  my  fun,"  said  the  Bravo.  "  I've 
a  curiosity  to  see  if  I  can't  split  a  bullet  on  his  sharp  nose  !" 

"  That's  a  new  mark  of  yours,  Bravo,"  said  Fitz.  "  It's 
snuffing  the  snuffers  instead  of  the  candle  !" 

A  general  guffaw  followed  this  sally  of  Fitz,  and  \ve  all  rose 
to  start.  The  spies  and  Black  now  came  galloping  down  the 
hill,  and  Castro  with  them,  and  a  moment  after  the  Lipans  were 
around  us.  Castro  was  nearly  out  of  his  wits  with  delight  at 
seeing  Hays  and  the  Colonel.  I  was  delighted,  too,  at  the  dig 
nified  modesty  with  which  Hays  received  his  extravagant 
caresses.  There  was  something  fresh  and  touching  to  me  in  the 
unsophisticated  joy  of  this  child  of  nature  at  meeting  these  men, 
to  whom  he  considered  himself  indebted  for  all  his  warrior- 
training  and  reputation  with  his  tribe.  Hays,  especially,  he 
seemed  to  look  up  to  as  a  higher  order  of  being,  and  with  almost 


141 

Oriental  deference  in  his  fondness.  He  wore  two  scalps  at  his 
belt,  and  there  were  several  others  among  his  warriors,  as  well 
as  a  number  of  wounded.  Their  persons,  arms,  and  horses,  all 
showed  that  in  the  "  four  times  sun  go,"  which  he  said  must 
elapse  before  we  saw  him  again,  he  had  been  at  rough  work. 
The  faithful  fellow  had  been  true  to  his  promise  about  our  horses, 
and,  with  an  exulting  look  at  the  Colonel  and  myself,  he  ordered 
one  of  his  braves  to  lead  them  to  us. 

I  was  right  glad  to  get  Sorrel  again  ;  for  passing  strong  is  the 
love  one  learns  to  bear  the  noble  steed  who  has  been  the  patient, 
honest  friend,  the  companioi 


"  His  corporeal  motion  governed  by  my  spirit" — 

through  many  a  weary  day  of  solitary  peril.  There  is  an 
intuition  of  human  thoughts  and  emotions  about  these  animals, 
that  is  most  striking — a  prompt  sympathy  in  the  finer  specimens 
of  them  almost  marvellous.  Stormy  passions  in  the  rider  dash  an 
electric  inspiration  through  their  big  veins,  and  swell  the  pulsing 
arteries  to  turgid  throbbing — light  with  fires  as  angry  as  their 
large  eyes,  and  all  convulse  the  quivering  muscles — till  they  will 
laugh  with  neighings  in  the  hurricane  of  battle,  and  shake,  like 
beasts  with  fangs,  fragments  dripping  from  their  bloody  jaws — 
for  that  red  wine  makes  them  drunk,  too,  and  mad  ;  and  then,  if 
you  be  merry,  how  with  pricked  ear  and  airy  capricoling  his 
light  movement  chimes  your  humor  ;  and  when  you  are  sad  and 
thoughtful,  how  sober,  steadfast,  and  demure  he  stalks,  with 
measured  tread,  and  drooping  crest,  and  contemplative  eye, 
guarded,  as  though  he  feared  to  break  the  subtil  thread  you  spun 
to  weave  in  woof  of  midnight,  or  of  beams.  Glorious  animals,  I 
love  them  !  and  have  seen  in  them  traits  of  courteous  chivalry  far 
beyond  the  soul-girth  or  the  ken  of  those  who  are  their  tyrants. 
Sorrel  recognised  me.  He*  was  evidently  something  the  worse  of 
the  wild  companionship  and  usage  of  the  few  days  past.  Horses 
never  forget  a  considerate  friend,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said 
of  the  animal  which  claims  to  be  the  nobler.  I  thought  the  joy 
the  Colonel  exhibited  on  recovering  his  old  favorite  horse,  quite  a 
redeeming  trait  in  his  character. 


142 

It  was  promptly  proposed  by  Hays  to  make  thi«  new  and  unex 
pected  addition  to  our  forces  available  in  ferreting  out  the  mystery 
of  Agatone's  escape,  and  fixing,  if  possible,  the  proofs  of  his 
treachery  upon  the  miscreant  Davis.  Bill  was  to  take  them  to 
the  trail,  and  it  was  hoped  that  their  numbers  and  singular  saga 
city  might  be  able  to  accomplish  what  even  his  unerring  skill  had 
failed  to  do.  Black  was  to  accompany, them. 

During  all  the  foregoing  scene,  I  had  observed  him  sitting  on 
his  horse,  apart — his  bent  and  broken  rifle  resting  across  the 
saddle  before — his  hand,  stiff  with  dry  gore,  clutching  it  convul 
sively — his  chin  resting  upon  his  breast — while  now  and  then  his 
flaming,  blood-shotten  eyes  would  throw  out  a  light  from  under 
his  thick  brows,  as  he  glanced  suddenly  at  the  scalp  hanging  at 
Castro's  belt,  to  be  withdrawn  as  quickly — while  his  hairy  lips 
would  quiver  with  low  mutterings.  Castro,  after  giving  us,  in 
picturesque  language  and  actions,  a  short  sketch  of  his  fight  with 
the  Comanches,  which,  it  seems,  had  been  a  sharp  one,  set  off, 
under  the  lead  of  Bill,  with  all  his  warriors,  up  the  river,  while 
we  started  on  the  direct  route  for  the  Colonel's  rancho. 

A  sharp  ride  brought  us  in  sight  of  it.  A  horse  was  standing 
hitched  to  the  picket ;  and  as  we  rode  up  to  dismount,  who  should 
make  their  appearance  in  the  door  but  Antone  and  Davis !  the  finery 
of  th*e  latter  somewhat  bespattered  to  be  sure,  but  he  looking  as  imper 
tinent  and  self-satisfied  as  ever.  Hearing  some  one  exclaim  behind 
me,  "  Jack,  I  will,  by  Heaven ;  let  me  go !"  I  looked  around,  and 
saw  Hays  struggling  with  the  Bravo,  who,  with  a  pistol  in  his 
hand,  was  evidently  about  to  try  the  curious  experiment  of  bullet- 
splitting  he  had  spoken  of,  forthwith,  upon  the  nose  of  the  uncon 
scious-looking  Davis.  Hays  was  using  all  his  strength  to  prevent 
this — endeavoring  to  induce  him  to  put  off  his  experiment  until 
Castro  and  Bill  got  in,  as  they  would  make  the  matter  sure,  and 
then  he  could  do  as  he  pleased.  After  considerable  difficulty, 
he  succeeded  in  getting  him,  reluctantly,  to  put  up  his  pistol,  and 
forego,  for  a  short  time,  the  gratification  of  his  curiosity. 

Several  of  the  men  now  approached  the  fellow,  who  seemed  not 
to  have  understood  all  this,  and  continued  simpering  and  chatting, 
in  a  very  inquisitive  mood,  with  regard  to  the  success  of  the  expe- 
dition,  to  them  as  they  advanced  ;  but  tfhen  one  of  them  roughly 


143 

seized  him  by  the  collar,  and  jerked  him  from  the  door  nearly 
upon  his  face,  his  mood  was  suddenly  changed,  and  with  all  the 
traitorous  malignity  of  his  nature,  mingled  with  the  startle  of  des 
perate  fright  in  his  expression,  he  fought  and  struggled  with  a 
vigorous  rapidity  that  had  almost  won  his  release,  when  four  or 
five  more  of  our  party  threw  themselves  upon  him,  and  tied  him 
with  a  lariat.  He  now  howled,  and  screamed,  and  gnashed  his 
teeth,  till  foam  fell  from  his  lips,  and  tossed  his  body  to  and  fro 
with  the  wildest  demonstrations  of  frantic  fear  and  fury ;  but  it 
was  of  no  avail.  These  men  sat  by  and  smiled  ;  and  when  he 
threw  his  eyes  around,  after  exhausting  himself  in  his  fruitless 
efforts,  with  an  imploring  look,  and  read  in  those  pitiless  eyes  the 
certainty  of  his  doom,  he  threw  himself  upon  the  ground,  with  a 
shriek  so  keen,  so  shrill  with  utter  despair,  that  it  pierced  to  my 
very  marrow,  and  made  me  shudder,  for  months  afterwards,  when 
I  thought  of  it. 

Master  Antone  had  most  unaccountably  disappeared.  The 
men,  meantime,  were  sitting  around  in  groups,  quietly  chatting 
and  casting  their  eyes  occasionally  in  the  direction  from  which 
Bill  and  the  Indians  were  expected.  It  was  but  a  short  time  till 
Castro  made  his  appearance  on  the  hill.  He  was  leaning  over 
his  horse's  neck,  looking  closely  at  the  ground.  The  position  in 
following  a  trail  carefully  was  familiar  to  all,  and  every  man 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  watched  in  breathless  silence  the  result ; 
for  they  all  knew  that  Indians  could  track  a  particular  horse 
among  fifty  others.  Castro  did  not  look  up  for  a  moment ;  and  I 
never  saw  such  eager,  fixed  excitement  upon  the  faces  of  men 
before,  as  marked  those  of  this  group,  while  the  Indian  slowly  but 
directly  approached  us.  When  within  five  paces,  he  raised  his 
head,  and  fixing  his  eye  upon  the  horse  that  had  been  standing 
there  before,  and  since  we  arrived,  pointed  his  finger  at  him,  and 
said,  "  That  him  !"  This  was  Davis's  ho^se. 


144 


CHAPTER  XV. 


DEATH     OF    THE     TJl  A  I  T  0  R  . 

THERE  was  no  member  of  the  party  who  did  not  of  course  un 
derstand  at  once,  that  Bill  had  led  Castro  and  his  Indians  back  to 
the  place  where  he  had  shot  Agatone's  lieutenant,  and  lost  sight 
of  the  man  with  the  "  red  on  his  cloak,"  and  that  Castro  had 
taken  his  trail,  and  followed  with  unerring  skill  to  the  very  spot 
where  the  horse  was  hitched.  The  Indian's  expressive  gesture 
and  exclamation,  "  That  him  !"  had  settled  the  matter  with  re 
gard  to  Davis — and  no  further  questions  would  have  been  asked, 
but  that  every  one  was  eager  to  hear  whether  any  discovery  had 
been  made  concerning  Agatone.  Leaving  Davis  tied  and  stretch 
ed  upon  the  ground,  on  the  inside  of  the  picketing,  the  whole 
party  climbed  the  blocks,  and  eagerly  crowded  around  Castro,  to 
hear  his  narrative. 

There  was  a  degree  of  mystery  about  the  escape  of  the  Bandit 
Captain  which  intensely  excited  the  curiosity  of  these  men — Da 
vis  was  securely  enough  hampered,  and  they  felt  no  apprehensions 
with  regard  to  him — for  Antone  was  gone,  and  there  was  nobody 
in  the  house  or  yard.  The  Lipan  warriors  came  galloping  up, 
one  after  another,  each  like  a  faithful  sleuth-hound  closely  follow 
ing  the  trail.  Amidst  all  the  clamors  of  questions,  shouts,  and 
oaths,  with  which  his  ears  were-  assailed  by  the  impatien4 
Rangers,  Castro  continued  perfectly  impassive.  He  sat  quietly 
in  his  saddle  watching  the  arrival  of  his  warriors.  Each  one,  as 
he  came  in,  would  gallop  up  to  the  chief,  and,  with  low,  quick 
utterance  and  rapid  gestures,  seemed  to  be  making  his  report— 
what  it  was  none  of  us  but  Hays  could  understand.  Perceiving 


145 

.hat  the  stoical  chieftain  was  not  to  be  hurried,  and  that  nothing 
conclusive  could  be  got  out  of  him  until  his  Braves  had  all  ar 
rived,  the  Rangers  became  silent  too,  and  following  the  eye  of 
Castro,  would  watch  each  warrior  as  he  appeared  on  the  distant 
ridge,  until  he  galloped  up  into  the  circle,  made  his  report,  and 
fell  back  among  the  crowd.  The  reason  for  this  proceeding  was, 
that  Castro  had  scattered  his  warriors  singly,  for  miles,  around 
the  place  where  Agatone  had  disappeared,  with  orders  to  $nd  his 
trail,  and  then  report  to  him.  The  men  were  beginning  to  mut 
ter  and  stamp  with  impatience  when  the  last  warrior  appeared. 
When  he  fell  back  Hays  said,  looking  at  the  chief — "  Nothing 
done,  Castro  ?"  He  bowed  his  head  with  an  abashed,  humbled 
look,  and  shaking  it  slowly,  muttered,  "  No !  no  find !  Him  much 
medicine  man  !  Him  conjur  !" 

"D — n  the  Indians!  Where's  Bill  Johnson!"  shouted  the 
Bravo. 

"Yes,  where's  Bill?  Where's  Bill?  he's  worth  'em  all!" 
said  several  at  once. 

Hays,  who  had  been  speaking  in  a  low  voice  to  Castro,  now 
turned  and  said,  "  Bill  is  out  there  yet.  He  says  we  must  sur 
round  Cavillo's  Rancho— put  some  one  to  watch  every  trail  lead 
ing  into  it — we'll  catch  him  that  way,  my  fellows !..  He'll  be 
sneaking  in  to-night !" 

"  Davis  can  tell,"  said  some  one,  in  a  loud  voice. 

"  Yes,  he  knows  all  about  it,"  said  Fitz — "  lets  quirt  him  until 
he  tells." 

"  Yes, !  yes  !"  said  several ;  "  that's  got  to  be  done,  Captain. 
We'll  finish  with  him  first !"  and  all  together  they  rushed  towards 
the  stiles  to  get  at  Davis,  who  lay  in  the  yard. 

"  Don't  spoil  the  edge  of  his  nose,  boys  !"  shouted  the  Bravo, 
laughingly.  The. high  picket- fence  had  been  between  us  and 
where  Davis  lay.  I  was  following  the  crowd — a  cold  shudder 
creeping  over  me,  as  I  thought  of  the  horrid  scene  which  must 
ensue ;  for  I  knew  he  was  to  die,  .and  that  with  fearful  tortures— 
when  a  confused  roar  of  voices  suddenly  arose  from  those  before, 
and  a  general  headlong  scramble  followed — then  came  the  shrill 
shriek  of  a  woman's  voice,  and  as  I  climbed  the  blocks  of  the 
picketing,  I  could  hear,  above  the  confused  trampjing  and  cla 

13 


446 

mors,  such  exclamations  as  "  Kill  her !"  "  Pitch  her  into  tho 
river !"  "  She  let  him  go  !"  "  The  Mexican  slut !"  "  In  with 
her !"  "  No,  no !  she's  a  woman  !"  &c. 

I  reached  the  top — Davis  had  disappcj/sd.  One  of  the  men 
was  dragging  a  woman  from  her  hiding-place  in  the  low  thicket 
we  have  before  mentioned  as  being  in  the  back-yard  of  the  Rancho, 
near  the  river  bank ;  the  rest  of  the  party,  with  cries  and  oaths, 
were  running  to  the  man's  assistance,  and  with  furious  impreca- 
tions  laid  hold  of  the  voman,  and  in  spite  of  her  screams,  were 
dragging  her  towards  the  water,  when  a  man  whom  I  recognised 
as  the  Lieutenant,  sprang  in  among  them  to  her  "rescue.  In 
another  instant  the  butt  of  a  gun,  laid,  not  lightly,  across  his  fore 
head,  felled  him  like  an  ox.  Some  one  shouted  "  There  he  is  !" 
and  two  guns  were  fired  as  a  figure  dodged  quickly  behind  a  tree, 
on  the  top  of  the  bluff  bank  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  dis 
appeared. 

In  the  momentary  pause  Hays  threw  himself  among  the  infu 
riated  crowd  around  the  woman,  and  dragged  her  back  as  they 
were  in  the  act  of  plunging  her  into  the  water  with  her  hands 
tied.  There  was  a  fierce  struggle.  I  had  reached  them  by  this 
time,  and  taking  up  the  shout  of  Hays,  "  Shame  !  shame  !  she  isfi 
woman  I" — "  You  are  men,  no  murder  !" — was  striking,  pushing, 
and  tugging  at  his  side,  before  I  had  time  to  think  what  it  all 
meant.  She  was  a  woman,  and  they  were  going  to  drown  her, 
was  as  much  as  I  knew,  or  wished  to  knew.  Fitz  and  the  Bravo 
came  to  our  help.  They  let  gc  the  woman  as  the  Bravo  shouted, 
"  They  missed  Davis !  He's  in  the  woods !  Come,  he'll  get 
away !"  and  jumping  into  the  water  held  his  gun  up  witii  one 
hand,  and  struck  with  the  other  for  the  bluff.  Several  followed 
him,  as  all  would  have  done,  had  not  Hays — leaving  the  woman 
in  my  charge — set  off  down  the  river  bank,  calling  to  them  to 
come  with  him  to  where  the  bank  was  less  steep. 

In  the  breathless  hurry  of  the  preceding  incidents  I  had  only 
time  to  see  and  act,  but  now,  having  drawn  my  breath,  I  perceiv 
ed  in  a  moment  what  had  occurred — for  having  been  Icjss  exciteo 
than  the  rest,  I  had  been  behind  and  somewhat  in  the  dark.  The 
woman,  who  was  shivering  in  an  ague-fit  of  terror,  I  saw,  wan 
the  Mexican  wife  of  the  Lieutenant.  Antone  had  orobaoly  ?n- 


147 

formed  her  what  was  going  on.  Piorrnted  by  her  guilty  passion, 
she  had  crept  up  by  the  back  w>  y  \rito  the  yard  of  the  Rancho, 
and  while  we  were  engaged  with  Castro  'ia3  cut  the  thongs  from 
the  limbs  of  Davis,  who  ran  and  had  jumped  into  the  river.  The 
two  guns  were  fired  at  him  as  he  disappeared  in  the  woods  on  the 
other  side.  The  foremost  men  had  seen  her  stoop  in  the  brush, 
and  perceiving  at  once  that  she  had  assisted  Davis's  escape,  would 
have  drowned  her  in  their  fury.  Her  husband  who  was  held  in 
great  contempt,  they  had  knocked  down  without  ceremony  when 
he  attempted  to  rescue  her. 

Feeling  no  particular  sympathy  for  either  of  them,  I  merely 
cut  loose  her  hands,  told  her  to  se&  to  her  husband,  and  then  fol 
lowed  after  Hays.  I  perceived  at  once  that  his  had  been  the  pro 
per  course,  for  the  Bravo  and  his  men  were  still  struggling  to  climb 
the  slippery  steep  bank  when  I  lost  sight  of  them.  When  I  caught 
up  with  Hays,  I  found  him  and  his  men  mounted  behind  Castro 
and  his  warViors,  who  had  galloped  around  the  picketing  to  the 
river.  I  mounted  behind  a  greasy,  half  naked  fellow,  and  they 
pushed  their  horses  into  the  stream.  After  a  deal  of  scrambling 
and  splattering  we  reached  the  other  bank,  and  stood  upon  the 
firm  sod.  Hays  sprang  to  the  ground,  and  called  to  us  to  dis 
mount.  It  was  arranged  that  Castro's  warriors  should  gallop  on 
in  a  body  to  cut  off  the  fugitive's  retreat  to  the  Senora  Cavillo's 
Rancho ;  while  we  in  couples  pushed  our  way  into  the  thick 
woods.  We  supposed  that  the  object  of  both  Davis  and  Agatcne 
would  be  to  get  to  Cavillo's  Rancho — once  behind  the  strong  gates 
of  which  they  might  well  laugh  us  to  scorn. 

The  Indians  on  horseback  would  overtake  Davis  if  he.  made 
directly  for  the  Rancho ;  if  not,  they  were  to  spread  out  their  line, 
and  watch  while  ve  beat  the  bush.  In  this  way  we  supposed  we 
should  hardly  fail  to  recapture  him,  as  he  had  but  little  start. 
Castro  himself  sent  his  warriors  on,  while  he  dismounted,  and 
along  with  Hays  went  to  where  the  fellow  had  been  last  seen,  to 
take  his  track  and  follow  it  up  ;  but  as  this  would  be  slow  work  WP* 
went  ahead,  trusting  to  chance.  Fitz  and  myself  happened  to  be 
coupled  in  the  pursuit.  For  a  time,  as  we  penetrated  the  dense 
underbrush,  the  different  parties  kept  in  view  or  at  least  in  hear 
ing  of  each  other.  Of  course  we  pushed  on  as  rapidly  as  the 


148 

nature  of  the  ground  traversed  would  permit,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  all  other  sounds  than  those  of  our  own  scrambles  through 
the  vines  and  brush  died  away,  and  we  were  alone  in  the  silence 
of  the  deep  woods.  I  felt  little  interest  in  the  chase  these  men 
were  driving  so  eagerly.  It  made  small  difference  to  me  whether 
the  Mongrel  escaped  or  not.  I  did  not  wish  to  find  him,  indeed, 
for  I  should  probably  be  compelled  to  shoot  him  in  cold  blood — a 
feat  I  had  no  stomach  for.  But  there  was  that  in  this  primitive 
Nature,  wearing  her  century-calms  upon  her  front,  which  could 
not  fail  to  overcome  me  with  a  spell — to  sink  a  nameless  awe  into 
my  being — brooding  in  shadowy  peace  upon  the  tumultuous  star 
tle  of  excitement  the  passions  had  been  subjected  to  during  the 
late  incidents. 

My  heedless  pace  had  gradually  slackened — for  the  mood  of 
dreams  was  on  me — and  I  sat  down  upon  the  trunk  of  a  fallen 
tree.  The  unpleasant  realities  of  the  wild  unnatural  life  I  was 
leading  had  disappeared,  and  in  delicious  revelations  the  ideal 
life  of  calm  and  holy  peace  came  around  me,  and  in  the  flushed 
quiet  of  that  lull,  the  beguiled  Fancy  danced  with  its  own  airy 
creatures  to  the  merry  click  of  the  Castanet  a  bright-eyed  Wood- 
chuck  was  sounding,  as  it  sat  familiarly  on  the  other  end  of  the 
log.  Texas,  battle,  blood,  Mexicans,  Indians,  Davis,  all  were  as 
things  that  had  been  and  were  not,  while  my  heart  made  music  of 
its  blissful  memories  amidst  these  evening  choristers. 

Suddenly  my  blood  rushed  to  the  centres  in  a  cold  and  shudder 
ing  revulsion,  and  I  sprang  to  my  feet  as  if  a  rifle-ball  had  struck 
me.  Could  it  be  real  ?  The  shrill  yell  of  a  human  voice  had 
suddenly  burst  upon  the  stillness,  and  been  as  suddenly  smothered. 
There  was  a  mortal  agony  in  its  tones  !  I  looked  around.  Fitz 
had  disappeared — there  was  no  one  in  sight.  I  perceived  for  the 
first  time  that  I  was  not  far  from  the  river  bank.  Again  I  heacd 
that  voice  of  death-like  anguish — stifled  into  a  low  plaining — then 
bursting  out  again  into  louder  and  wilder  shrieks  of  despairing 
terror.  I  had  been  entirely  unmanned  by  the  suddenness  of  the 
thing  ;  but  now  the  thought  of  some  foul  murder  being  done  in 
the  dark  woods  nerved  me  in  an  instant,  and  I  bounded  off  in  the 
direction  of  the  sounds.  I  thought  of  Fitz — but  I  had  heard  nc 
gun — it  could  not  be.  Now  it  was  a  grating  burst  of  harsh 


A  little  below  the  level  on  which  I  was  standing,  the  body  of  a  man  writhing  in  the 
agonies  of  death,  was  suspended  by  the  neck  from  the  limb  of  a  tree  which  leaned  very 
far  over  the  last  bank  of  the  river.— PAGE  149. 


149 

unnatural  laughter,  with  the  sound  of  struggling  feet,  that  guided 
me  as  I  ran — then  all  was  silence.  I  burst  my  way  through  a 
chaparal  thicket,  and  came  out  upon  the  old  bank  of  the  river — 
and,  my  God !  may  my  eyes  never  rest  upon  such  another 
scene ! 

A  little  below  the  level  on  which  I  was  standing,  tne  body  of  a 
man  (whom  I  immediately  recognised  from  the  clothes  to  be  Davis) 
writhing  in  the  agonies  of  death,  was  suspended  by  the  Jieck  from 
the  limb  of  a  tree  which  leaned  very  far  over  the  last  bank 
of  the  river.  It  was  moving  slowly  up,  rising  towards  the  limb, 
while  the  rope  grated  harshly  over  the  bark,  and  as  I  stept 
forward  I  saw  beneath  the  hairy  and  haggard  face  of  Black,  lit 
with  the  wild  glare  of  maniac  ferocity.  With  set  uncovered 
teeth  and  swollen  muscles,  he  was  leaning  back,  tugging  with  the 
furious  energy  of  madness  at  the  other  end  of  the  rope  by  which 
he  was  slowly  hoisting  his  victim.  My  blood  felt  as  if  it  were 
freezing  with  horror.  My  first  impulse  was  to  leap  down  the 
bank  upon  Black,  and  rescue  the  poor  wretch,  when  a  hand  upon 
my  arm  and  a  voice  arrested  me. 

"  Well  done  !  he  has  saved  us  the  trouble  !" 

It  was  Fitz.  I  was  inexpressibly  relieved — for  this  terrible 
concatenation  of  murder  and  madness  had  almost  shaken  my 
reason  too,  and  I  felt  the  need  of  some  one  near  me  less  deeply 
excited  than  myself.  Fitz  took  the  matter  with  wonderful  sang, 
froid. 

"  I  wonder  how  he  happened  over  this  way,"  he  continued. 
"  Never  heard  of  one  man's  hanging  another  alone  before ! — but 
they  say  madmen  have  the  strength  of  seven  men  in  them  !" 

"  For  God's  sake,"  said  I,  "  let's  cut  him  down ! — it  is  too 
dreadful  I" 

"  Pshaw,  man !  You're  not  case-hardened  !  It  had  to  be  done 
— he'd  as  well  do  it  as  any  one  else  !" 

The  maniac  had  by  this  time  drawn  the  body  up  to  the  limb, 
and  bringing  the  end  of  the  lariat  several  times  around  a  small 
sapling,  he  secured  it  there.  Then  perceiving  us  for  the  first 
time,  he  broke  into  that  infernal  hideous  laugh  I  had  heard  before; 
and  pointing  with  his  finger  to  the  dangling  corpse,  commenced 
leaping  and  tossing  his  body  to  and  fro  in  the  strangest  gyration* 

13* 


150 

•—gnashing  his  teeth — then  laughing  again,  and  shouting  ii 
broken  sentences  too  incoherently  for  me  to  understand. 

Suddenly  his  mood  seemed  to  change.  Observing  us  steadily 
for  a  rnoment,  as  we  stood  silently  above  him,  he  glanced  quickly 
up  at  the  body  and*  muttered — "  They  want  it,  Mary  !  Hush  ! 
hush,  honey  !  they  shant !"  and  slowly  crouching  his  body,  his 
distended  eyes  fixed  on  us  with  that  furtive  burning  light  in  them 
peculiar  to  a  panther  about  to  spring,  he  crept  cautiously  along 
the  leaves  on  his  hands  and  knees  tow-ards  us,  keeping  the  trunks 
of  the  trees  interposed,  as  that  animal  would  have  done  when 
attempting  a  surprise.  Even  Fitz  was  terrified  by  this  strange 
manoeuvre,  and  with  the  instinct  of  the  backwoodsman  in  all 
circumstances  of  danger,  cocked  his  rifle.  The  madman  was 
dragging  after  him  his  battered  but  heavy  gun-barrel,  which, 
from  the  traces  of  fresh  blood  I  saw  upon  it,  had  no  doubt  been 
used  first  in  disabling  Davis,  in  the  same  way  that  it  was  now  to 
be  used  upon  one  or  both  of  us.  For  the  moment  I  was  utterly 
at  a  loss  what  to  do,  and  found  my  hand  involuntarily  clutching 
at  the  triggers  of  my  own  gun,  as  1  watched  the  cold,  sly,  con 
centrated  ferocity  with  which  this  worse  than  wild  beast  was 
nearing  us  for  the  deadly  bound.  The  thought  of  shooting  was 
only  a  momentary  thingr — that  would  be  worse  than  all  the 
horrors  !  I  whispered  hurriedly  to  Fitz — "  Don't  shoot !  club 
your  gun  for  Heaven's  sake — we  can  knock  him  down  !"  The 
words  had  scarcely  passed  my  lips  before  with  a  wild  yell  the 
creature  sprang  towards  us  with  his  gun-barrel  swung  high  in  the 
air.  I  was  nearest  to  him,  and  remember  a  blow  like  the  falling 
of  a  tree  upon  me,  which  crushed  down  the  parry  I  had  attempted 
with  my  rifle-barrel;  and  as  I  was.  reeling  in  the  fall,  a  dark 
figure  bounding  past  me  from  behind,  a  fiercer  yell,  and  the 
struggling  of  many  feet — and  darkness  rushed  over  my  senses. 

A  Sombrero  full  of  water  dashed  into  my  face  brought 
me  to  myself.  Castro,  who  had  just  administered  this 
primitive^  but  most  effectual  prescription  for  the  cure  of 
obliviousness,  was  standing  over  me,  grinning  with  plea 
sure,  though  the  blood  was  streaming  down  his  forehead.  Hays 
stood  by  him  bareheaded  and  panting.  Fitz  was  reclining  on  the 
leaves,  looking  very  pale,  and  evidently  badly  hurt.  The  maniac, 


151 

gnashing  h.'s  teeth  and  howling  fearfully,  lay  stretched  upon  his 
back,  his  limbs  securely  bound  with  a  lariat.  His  face  was 
wretchedly  disfigured,  from  the  severe  blows  it  had  been  neces 
sary  to  inflict  before  he  could  be  subdued.  Hays  told  me  that  he 
and  Castro  had  been  following  the  trail  of  Davis,  and  hearing  the 
strange  noises  Black  was  making,  had  set  off  in  the  direction  of 
them  at  a  run,  and  had  arrived  just  in  time  to  see  me  fall,  and 
fortunately  to  save  Fitz,  who  had  nobly  forborne  to  shoot  until  it 
would  have  been  too  late,  for  he  was  staggering  under  the 
tremendous  blows  which  the  madman  was  dealing  at  him.  I 
found  that  I  was  more  stunned  than  seriously  injured,  and  was  on 
my  feet  very  soon ;  the  back  of  my  head  had  been  bleeding  freely, 
but  the  hurt  was  not  severe. 

It  was  now  nearly  dark,  and  Hays  fired  his  rifle  to 
bring  assistance..  We  theji  examined  the  scene  of  the  novel 
execution,  a  part  of  which  I  had  witnessed.  There  were 
evidences  of  a  desperate  struggle,  and  on  cutting  down  the 
body  of  Davis,  we  saw  that  he  had  received  several  blows  of  the 
gun-barrel,  which  had  no  doubt  partially  disabled  him,  before  even 
the  desperate  strength  of  the  madman  could  have  been  sufficient 
to  run  him  up  unassisted.  We  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Black, 
who  had  shown  symptoms  of  insanity  some  time  before,  had  been 
driven  stark  mad  by  the  excitement  of  the  affair  with  the  Mexican 
robbers ;  and  having  in  some  way  lost  his  horse  during  the  search 
for  Agatone,  had  been  wandering  about  since  through  the  woods, 
until  chance  brought  him  and  Davis  together ;  and  that  having 
heard  Davis's  name  associated  with  Agatone's  escape  during 
Bill's  narrative,  he  had  offered  him  up  to  appease  the  ghosts  of 
his  murdered  family.  From  all  that  had  dropped  from  him,  it  was 
evident  the  imagination  that  they  were  pursuing  him,  clamoring 
for  vengeance  night  and  day  that  they  might  be  permitted  to  go  to 
their  graves  in  peace,  had  deranged  him.  That  Fitz  and  myself 
ftad  suddenly  appeared,  to  his  distempered  fancy,  enemies  who 
came  to  rob  his  "  Mary  "  of  the  victim  he  had  sacrificed  to  her 
restless  manes,  was  clear  enough,  when  we  remembered  what  he 
was  muttering  when  he  commenced  so  unexpectedly  and 
viciously  to  creep  upon  us. 

Castro's  warriors  now  came  galloping  up.     They  reported  to 


152 

him  the  fresh  trail  of  a  horse  ridden  at  full  speed,  leading  into 
Jhe  Rancho  from  this  direction.  We  were  singularly  puzzled  to 
conjecture  who  this  horseman  could  possibly  be.  It  could  hardly 
be  one  of  Agatone's  men,  escaped  from  the  fray  of  the  morning, 
for  we  had  taken  all  their  horses.  They  had  traced  this  rider 
back  to  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  where  we  were ;  and 
from  signs  which  Indians  and  all  experienced  trailers  read  with 
unerring  precision,  they  were  convinced  that  he  had  passed 
within  two  hours.  Hearing  Hays'  gun,  they  had  dismounted, 
and  sent  on  three  of  their  best  trailers  to  keep  the  track  while 
they  came  to  us.  While  we  were  discussing  this  curious  item 
of  news  with  great  interest  and  eagerness,  a  deep,  prolonged 
whoop,  from  the  direction  opposite  to  that  by  which  the  Indians 
had  approached,  announced  a  new  comer,  and  in  another 
moment  the  tall  figure  of  Bill  Johnson  was  ,seen  indistinctly 
through  the  faint  twilight,  parting  the  brush  before  his  long  strides. 
At  his  heels  came  the  three  Indian  trailers. 

"  Hurrah !  here's  the  old  Otter-dog — he's  got  the  news  !" 
shouted  Fitz,  feebly.  "  How  is  it,  Bill  ?"  "  Who's  that  fellow 
on  the  horse  ?"  "  Got  another  brush  to  show,  old  boy  ?"  "  Come, 
fork  over  the  news;'*'  "  Shell  out,  old  ccor  !*'  &c.,  exclaimed  one 
and  another  as  he  strode  into  our  midst. 

Bringing  the  butt  of  his  rifle  carefully  to  the  ground,  he 
crossed  his  hands  over  the  muzzle,  leaned  his  chin  v.pon  them, 
and  while  his  sharp  black  eyes  twinkled  rapidly  over  ihe  scene 
the  rest  of  his  face  looked  as  if  it  had  been  cut  in  stone.  The 
broad  moon,  which  had  been  up  some  time,  streamed  in  suffi 
cient  light  through  the  trees  to  enable  him  to  see  with  tolerable 
distinctness. 

"  Whar's  the  Kern  ?"  he  drawled  out,  and  then,  in  the  same 
breath,  "  Ye've  been  stringin'  up  that  pole-cat  thar,  have  yer  ?" 

"  Black  did  it,"  said  Hays.  At  this  moment  Bill's  eye  fell 
upon  the  figure  of  Black,  which  lay  writhing  to  and  fro  with 
low  moanings  on  the  ground.  He  started  as  if  a  snake  had 
struck  him,  while  his  eyes  flamed  again.  "  Look  here,  fellers, 
Bill  Johnson  don't  stand  this  !"  and  before  any  one  could  inter- 
pose  or  explain,  he  had  drawn  a  knife  from  his  belt,  and  with 


153 

one  long  stride  stood  over  Black,  and  was  rapidly  severing  the 
thongs  which  bound  his  limbs. 

"  Bill,  for  God's  sake  don't ! — he's  raving  mad — he'll  knock 
down  right  and  left!"  said  Fitz  rapidly,  while  the  party  scattered 
on  all  sides. 

"  Tarnation  !"  roared  Bill,  furiously,  as  he  assisted  the  mad- 
man  to  his  feet  j  "  Yer  white-livered  younkers !  and  these  cow 
hide  strings  'nough  to  make  a  man  like  Jim  Black  rarein'  tearin* 
mad  ?  Tie  a  hunter  like  some  chicken-stealin7  sneak  in  the 
States,  will  yer?  just  for  hf,ngin'  a  man,  too !  Pretty  spot  o' 
work  !  got  any  bull-neck  Judges  ;  got  any  weazen  faced  lawyers 
out  here  to  swindle  a  man's  rights  away,  have  yer  ?  mad,  is  he  ? 
Try  to  serve  Bill  Johnson  so  if  yer  want  to  see  somebody  mad. 
Who  done  this?  Knock  down  as  many  as  you  please,  Jim 
Black  ;  Bill  Johnson's  here,  and  old  Sue." 

I  heard  the  clicking  of  rifle-locks  around  me  at1  this.  Bill 
patted  the  madman  heavily  on  the  shoulder  as  he  gave  him  this 
last  exhortation  to  avenge  the  indignity  which  it  seemed  he 
hastily  supposed  had  been  put  upon  him.  Black,  who  had  been 
standing  in  a  sort  of  stupor,  was  thoroughly  roused  by  the  friendly 
blow,  and  glaring  his  eyes  in  the  face  of  his  old  comrade  for  a 
moment,  with  a  loud  guttural  shriek  sprang  suddenly  at  his 
throat.  Nobody  interfered,  and  now  the  stern  and  powerful 
hunter  exhibited  his  finest  traits.  His  iron  fingers  tore  away  the 
frantic  grasp  of  the  madman  from  his  throat ;  then  closing  with 
him  he  clasped  him  in  the  bear-hug  of  those  long  heavy  arms. 

Black  was  a  very  strong  man  at  any  time,  and  inflamed  as  all 
his  energies  now  were  with  the  preternatuial  fires  of  maniac 
rage,  it  required  the  full  exertion  of  all  the  huge  strength  for 
which  Bill  was  remarkable  to  cope  with  him.  We  looked  on 
with  intense  interest,  for  everybody  present,  like  myself,  was 
uncertain  and  curious  as  to  whether  Bill's  indignant  and  abrupt 
course  had  been  the  result  of  sheer  simplicity — mistaking  the 
sense  of  the  expression  "  madness," — of  a  sagacious  intuition  of 
the  treatment  proper  in  such  a  case,  or  confidence  in  his  own 
resources.  For  a  moment  or  so  the  figures  of  the  two  men  were 
tossed  to  and  fro  in  the  uncertain  light,  linked  and  writhing  in  a 
item,  silent,  and  desperate  struggle.  It  seemed  to  me  that  Bill's 


154 

object  was  to  quell  and  overbear  the  madman  by  the  weight  of 
physical  superiority  without  hurting  him.  I  shuddered,  when, 
as  they  whirled  by  close  to  me,  I  perceived  the  cause  of  the 
ominous  silence  of  the  madman.  His  teeth  were  clenched  in  the 
shoulder  of  the  Trapper,  whose  pale  face  as  it  gleamed  past  was 
rigid  and  calm  as  ever.  A  sudden  change  came  over  the  aspect 
of  the  combat.  The  two  figures  were  perfectly  still  for  a  moment 
— then  that  of  Black  gradually  sank  towards  the  ground.  I 
stepped  close  to  them  and  saw  that  Bill,  by  the  tremendous  power 
of  his  hug,  had  paralysed  him  by  pressure  on  the  spine.  With 
his  back  bending  in,  the  grip  of  his  teeth  loosened  as  he  sank 
upon  his  knees. 

At  that  moment,  while  Bill  stooped  over  him,  their  eyes  met. 
The  two  figures  seemed  at  once  to  be  frozen  into  a  deathlike 
pause,  while  their  eyes  were  riveted  upon  each  other.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  those  of  Bill  were  emitting  a  keen  and  palpable  flame 
that  steadily  searched  the  depths  of  the  brain  beneath  him. 
There  was  something  terrible  and  ghost-like  in  his  white  stony 
face,  lit  with  that  calm  weird  light,  heightened  by  a  broad  fleck 
of  the  moon's  rays  that  fell  upon  it  through  an  opening  m  the 
trees.  I  could  scarcely  breathe  with  the  excitement — half  of 
awe — which  fell  upon  me  as  I  looked  on  this  intense  scene.  The 
glare  of  animal  feroo;ty  rapidly  faded  from  the  fascinated  gaze 
of  the  madman;  the  spasmoJic  contraction  of  his  features  sub 
sided — his  muscles  were  unstrung  from  their  tension. 

Bill,  yet  gazing  steadily  into  his  eyes,  gently  shook  off  his 
grasp  as  he  loosened  his  own  hold,  and  then  straightening  himself, 
lifted -him  slowly  up  with  him  to  hfs  feet.  Black's  spell-led  eyes 
still  followed  th*  face  of  his  conqueror  for  an  instant;  he  then 
drew  the  back  of  his  rough  and  gore-encrusted  hand  quickly 
across  them,  and,  bursting  into  tears,  with  a  convulsive  sob  that 
seemed  to  be  tearing  up  the  very  foundations  of  his  life,  reeled  to 
one  side  and  fell  heavily  to  the  earth.  Not  a  few  long  breaths 
were  drawn  by  those  around  me — the  majority  of  whom  were  as 
much  terrified  as  astonished  at  this  extraordinary  denouement  of 
a  most  wonderful  scene. 

All  had  observed  the  mastery  Bill's  eyes  had  exhibited  over 
this,  to  them,  mysterious  distemper,  and  some  regarded  it  as  a 


155 

supernatural  display  ;  particularly  Castro  and  his  Indians,  who 
looked  upon  the  Trapper  with  expressions,  ludicrously  mingled, 
of  awe,  humility,  and  affright.  Bill  had  ordered  water  to  be 
brought  from  the  river,  of  which  Black,  who  had  fallen  from 
excessive  weakness — the  collapse  of  his  long  excitement — drank 
with  inconceivable  eagerness.  He  seemed  so  subdued,,!  hoped 
for  a  moment  that  the  spell  had  passed  from  off  his  soul ;  but 
there  was  the  same  incoherence  and  wandering  evident  as  soon 
as  he  was  able  to  speak  ;  and  when  any  of  us  came  very  near 
him,  the  same  disposition  to  injure  us.  Bill  alone  could  control 
him — at  a  single  glance  from  whose  eye  he  became  humble 
again.  I  should  not  have  been  particularly  astonished  at  the 
simple  fact  that  Bill's  eyes,  or  the  eyes  of  any  other  man  of  great 
firmness,  should  have  exerted  this  absolute  power  over  a  mad 
man  ;  for  that  such  a  power  had  long  been  known  to  exist  and 
been  used  by  occasional  individuals  in  the  treatment  and  man. 
agement  of  lunatics,  I  was  perfectly  aware ;  but  what  did 
surprise  me  was,  that  this  uncultivated  Trapper,  who  had  proba 
bly  never  seen  or  heard  of  a  medical  book  in  his  life,  and  as 
probably  never  saw  a  madman  before,  should  have  seemed  so 
securely  conscious  of  possessing  this  unusual  power  as  to  hav& 
trusted  to  it  calmly  through  a  scene  of  so  much  peril.  How 
and  where  he  could  have  picked  up  this  knowledge,  was  a  ques 
tion  I  determined  in  my  own  mind  to  have  settled  on  the  first 
opportunity. 

In  the  meantime  arrangements  were  made  to  return  to  the 
Colonel's  Rancho.  The  body  of  Davis  was  thrown  into  the  river ; 
Black  was  mounted  upon  the  horse  of  a  Lipan,  the  lariat  of 
which  Bill  held  as  he  led  off  the  party  on  the  return.  Hays, 
Fitz,  and  several  others  of  the  Rangers  who  had  joined  us,  were 
discussing  and  accounting  for  the  late  scene  with  great  earnest 
ness,  in  their  own  way,  as  we  walked  on,  some  vowing  it  was 
one  thing,  others  another ;  but  most  inclined  to  regard  it  with 
superstition.  Finding  that  no  light  was  to  be  gained  from  them, 
I  determined  to  join  Bill,  who  was  moodily  striding  on  alone, 
and  try  whether  I  could  draw  him  into  a  communicative  humor. 
It  had  occurred  to  me  that  the  effect  had  been  purely  accidental. 
But  this  view  I  was  almost  disposed  to  discaH  on  remembering 


156 

Bill's  steady  and  methodical  management  from  the  time  h« 
catight  the  madman's  eye.  I  had  observed  a  trait  of  supersti 
tion  in  his  own  character,  and  was  not  surprised  when  1  found 
him  very  mysterious  and  difficult  of  approach  on  the  subject.  I 
soon  perceived  that  he  himself  did  not  understand  the  origin  of 
the  power,  and  it  was  only  after  a  great  deal  of  cross-questioning 
and  urging,  that  I  could  get  a  hint  of  the  source  from  which  he 
had  originally  received  the  suggestion. 

It  appeared  from  what  he  let  fall,  that  years  ago,  in  one  of  his 
trapping  expeditions  towards  the  head  waters  of  the  Platte,  he  had 
met  with  three  men — two  Americans  and  a  half-breed  Indian — 
whose  sole  occupation  seemed  to  be  that  of  catching  mustangs. 
These,  after  being  captured,  the  Half-breed  would  render  perfectly 
tame  in  a  few  hours — so  much  so  that  they  would  follow  him 
about  the  prairie,  and  come  to  him  at  his  call.  A  wolf  was  cap 
tured  and  tamed  in  as  short  a  time,  and  as  effectually.  The 
Half-breed  had  been  very  mysterious  as  to  his  mode  of  proceed 
ing,  and  announced  that  he  bewitched  them — but  added,  also,  that 
he  could,  for  a  "  compensation"  commensurate  with  the  value  of 
the  important  secret,  impart  it  to  others.  Bill  had  collected  a 
very  valuable  pack  of  beaver  pelts,  and  so  deeply  had  he  been 
interested  and  impressed,  that  without  any  hesitation  he  had  offered 
.them  in  exchange  for  the  secret.  This,  after  some  demur,  the 
cunning  Half-breed  had  agreed  to,  first  binding  Bill  over  to  secresy 
by  the  most  fantastic  rites  and  solemn  oaths.  Under  these  injunc 
tions  the  secret  had  been  communicated,  and  of  course  was  Deyond 
my  reach.  Bill  said  he  had  often  tried  the  "  spell,"  as  he  called 
it,  upon  the  wildest  and  most  ferocious  animals  with  perfect  suc 
cess  when  he  could  get  them  "  cornered"  long  enough  for  it  to 
work.  That  he  had  been  equally  successful  with  men  who  had 
the  "  tremblers"  (delirium  tremens)  upon  them  after  a  spree. 

I  had  often  heard  of  these  "  wild  horse  tamers,"  as  they  are 
called,  and  felt  great  curiosity  with  regard  to  them.  It  added  not 
a  little  to  the  interest  I  already  felt  in  the  character  of  my  long- 
sided  friend,  the  Trapper,  to  find  that  he  belonged  to  this  myste 
rious  fraternity.  Without  having  witnessed,  as  yet,  any  of  their 
feats,  I  had,  under  a  theory  of  my  own,  been  disposed  to  classify 
them  among  the  unexplained  phenomena  of  mesmerism ;  which 


157 

last  designation  would,  indeed,  include  all  the  apparent  facts  of 
the  embryo  science.  Bill  had  never  heard  of  mesmerism,  though, 
and  the  suspicion  that  he  had  stumbled  unawares  upon  the  exist 
ence  of  a  physical  law,  of  the  nature  of  which  he,  in  common 
with  its  more  learned  advocates,  was  profoundly  ignorant,  had 
crossed  my  mind  more  than  once.  It  was  interesting  to  have  thua 
traced  it  back  to  a  seeming  connexion,  heretofore  unsuspected, 
with  influences  producing  inexplicable  effects  in  two  classes  of 
well-known  facts — the  taming  of  madmen  and  wild  beasts.  1 
had  afterwards  the  opportunity  of  examining  iwiw  furious  subject 
with  greater  minuteness,  and  satisfying  myself  more  definitely  as 
to  the  plausibility  of  my  new  tneory. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


A    Y  ELLER     BELLY  . 

WE  met  the  Colonel  with  the  Bravo  and  his  party  near  the 
raricho,  returning  bootless  from  their  search  pushed  in  another 
direction. 

The  Colonel's  sagacity  had  also  discovered  the  trail  of  the 
strange  horseman  which  had  so  much  puzzled  us,  though  the 
recollection  of  it  had  been  for  the  time  overcome  by  the  late  inci 
dents.  Without  waiting  to  hear  more  of  the  details  we  had  to 
give  than  the  simple  intelligence  that  Davis  had  been  hung  by 
Black — which  he  seemed  ^to  consider  a  matter-of-course  incident 
—he  insisted  upon  Bill's  report  about  Agatone,  and  explanation, 
if  he  had  any  to  give,  of  the  tracks. 

Bill  proceeded  in  his  quaint  vernacular  to  inform  us  that  he 
had  proceeded  with  Castro  and  the  Indians  to  the  place  in  Big 
Bend  Bottom,  where  he  had  at  first  seen  the  three  men,  of  whom 
the  person  supposed  to  be  Agatone  was  riding  behind  one  of  the 
others — the  Lieutenant,  probably — whom  he  shot.  That  here  he 
and  Castro  had  taken  their  trail  again  and  followed  it  with  the  most 
minute  care,  examining  evefry  tree  near  the  trunk  of  which  it 
passed,  to  see  whether  he  had  been  pushed  up  into  it  to  hide 
among  the  long  moss.  The  Indians  were  spread  out  on  every 
side  to  look  for  the  traces,  of  his  footsteps,  so  that  every  square 
yard  of  the  ground  for  some  distance  on  both  sides  of  the  trail 
had  been  carefully  examined  up  to  the  point  where  he,  by  cutting 
across,  had  intercepted  the  horsemen,  and  seen,  to  his  astonish- 
ment,  that  the  man  riding  behind  had  disappeared.  Here  Castro 
had  taken  Davis's  trail,  which  he  followed  in  to.  the  rancho,  as  we 


159 

have  detailed.     His  Indians  he  had  sent  back  to  teat  the  woods 
in  every  direction  again,  with  no  better  success  than  before. 

"  Arter  the  red-skins  war  gone,"  said  Bill,  "  I  squats  upon  er 
old  log — for,  boys,  I  tell  you  Bill  Johnson  war  clean  dumb- foun 
dered  !  This  Agatone's  gittin'  away  so  cute  tuck  the  shine  out  er 
anything  I  know'd.  Thinks  I,  whar  is  the  little  weasel  got  to  ? 
He  cant've  flewed,  sure  enough.  Then  I  thunk  of  that  half-an'- 
half  skunk  an'  wildcat  Davis! — what  could  er  brought  him  out 
here  ?  He  come  fer  sumphin,  sure  !  I  ups  upon  my  pegs  an* 
made  er  bee-line  for  the  place  whar  his  trail  come  in  to  jine  Aga 
tone's.  I  tuck  on  it  and  follered  it  backwards  er  long  time  round- 
er-boutin'  an'  twistifyin'  as  if  he  war  lookin'  for  sumphin.  It 
brung  me  at  last  'way  'round  the  bottom  to  a  chaparal,  jest  in  the 
direction  they  were  makin'  for  when  Agatone  sloped  so  surprisin'. 
What  der  ye  think,  boys !  I  found  a  place  tramped  whar  a  horse 
had  been  standin'  hitched  since  daybreak,  maybe,  till  jest  er  while 
before.  If  I'd  er  only  been  a  leetle  sooner,  I'd  er  had  him !  I 
found  his  fresh  tracks  on  the  ground,  an'  whar  the  horse  had 
dunged  when  he  started.  It  war  warm.  Maybe  I  didn't  tare  my 
wool  and  cuss  a  little!  He  war  off — 'twarnt  worth  while  ter 
sweat.  I  tuck  the  back  track  of  his  little  boots  that  war  plain 
enough,  and  may  I  be  catawampussed,  boys,  but  he'd  been  hid  in 
the  moss  up  one  er  them  live  oaks  I'd  looked  up  inter  twenty 
times  ter-day." 

"  But  how  the  deuce  did  he  get  thar,  Bill  j  you  said  you  'ooked 
up  all  the  trees  V  said  Fitz,  breathlessly. 

"  Ah  !  that  war  the  cunninnest  trick  that  ever  er  Yaller-belly 
war  up  ter  yet.  Them  fellers  war  up  ter  trailin' — they  know'd 
they  had  a  trailer  arter  'em  too.  I  told  yer  we  did  look  up  all 
xthe  trees  whar  ther  trail  led  close  to.  Thar  war  a  grape  vine, 
the  bigness  er  my  wrist,  hangin'  down  a  little  way  frum  a  limb 
twenty  feet  out  frum  ther  body  of  the  tree.  It  war  pretty  high 
up,  too;  a  man  sitting  on  er  horse  couldn't  a  reached  it.  The 
little  monkey  must  er  stood  up  on  ther  horse's  back  behind  the 
feller  I  shot,  and  while  ther  horse  war  goin'  at  a  gallop — for  the 
bracks  warn't  broke,  I  look'd  out  sharp  for  that — he  grabbed  the 
grape  vine  and  swung  off,  then  eased  himself*up  on  the  limb  and 
bid  in  the  moss  !"  ' 


160 

"  Hurrah  !  by  jingo,  that  beats  Davy  Crockett !"  "  Good  I 
Agatone  will  do  !"  "  He's  a  keener !"  were  the  exclamations 
which  here  interrupted  Bill's  narrative. 

The  Rangers  were  too  mucli  of  woodsmen  themselves  not  to 
appreciate  and  admire  heartily  so  dexterous  a  game  as  this, 
though  played  by  an  enemy  to  their  own  discomfiture. 

"  Then  he  must  have  laid  close  up  there,  that  you  nor  the  In- 
dians  could  see  him,  Bill  ?" 

"  Yes,  thar  war  a  heap  er  moss  on  ther  tree — ye  might  er  walk 
ed  under  a  bar  all  day  and  not  seed  him!" 

"  He  must  have  stayed  there  all  day,  too,  until  the  Indians 
came  away,  or  they  would  have  found  his  track  ?" 

"  The  cunnin'   little  rascal  laid  low  an'  kept  dark  'till  they 

were  all  gone ;  then  he  come  down  and  skooted  for  ther  horse." 

"  Yes,  the  infernal  old  hag  sent  Davis  out  thar  with  a  fresh 

horse  for  him,  and  the  news  that  we  were  coming  out  to  look  for 

him,  that's  how  it  was,"  muttered  the  Colonel. 

"  But  how,"  suggested  I,  "  could  she  have  got  the  news  that 
his  horse  had  been  wounded  by  your  shot  that  night  ?" 

"  He  must  have  had  some  fellows  with  him,  and  left  them  out 
side  the  Rancho  ;  one  of  them,  you  know,  shot  at  me  on  the  log. 
The  others,  I  expect,  were  waiting  for  him  out,  and  he  sent  one 
of  them  back  to  tell  her  that  night,  Davis  was  to  leave  the  horse 
at  the  chaparal,  but  having  the  news  about  us,  the  traitor  went  to 
look  for  him  in  the  Bend,  and  that's  what  made  his  trail  so  round 
abouting,  as  Bill  says  !" 

"  That  war  ther  way  it  come." 

"But,  Bill,  you  followed  the  trail-of  Agatone's  horse  up,  didn* 
you?" 

,  "  For  sartin  I  did !  I  went  back  ter  the  chaparal,  tuck  it,  and 
war  nosein'  it  up  close  when  I  hern  the  rifle  Captain  here  fired. 
Then  I  cum'd  jam  agin  Castro's  three  red-skins,  who  war  follerin' 
it  backwards." 

"  So  he's  housed,  Colonel,  you  see,  snug  enough  for  to-night," 
eaid  Hays. 

"  Yes,"  growled  he,  V  snug  enough  if  I  don't, burn  ram  out  be. 
fore  morning.  He  slipped  in  just  before  Davis  got  away,  I  expect, 


161 

and  that  in  the  broad  daylight  too.  He  won't  get  out  again  it 
easy,  or  Fm  mistaken." 

"  But  where  was  Black  all  this  time  ?"  asked  I  of  Bill,  as  ht 
was  turning  off. 

"He  tuck  off  through  the  woods  soon  as  we  left  yer  at 
the  ford ;  didn't  see  him  any  more  till  I  com'd  whar  these 
green  younkers  had  been  insultin'  his  arms  with  their  dirty 
strings !" 

Nobody  who  heard  the  last  speech  of  the  Colonel  suspected 
him,  even  remotely,  of  joking  in  the  threats  he  let  fall.  He  had 
appeared  so  moodily  absorbed  since  it  had  been  made  evident 
that  his  enemy  was  near  him — almost  within  his  reach — with 
cnly  wooden  walls  interposed  between  them — that  it  was  hard  for 
ihose  who  knew  him  best  to  conjecture  what  his  surly  and 
desperate  hate  might  not  do  before  morning.  That  he  was  fiercely 
determined  this  night  should  settle  the  long  account  between 
Agatone  and  himself  at  whatever  risk,  soon  became  clear  enough. 
He  went  aside  with  Bill  and  Hays,  and  held  a  long  consultation. 
We,  in  the  meantime,  despatched  a  hasty  meal.  They  then 
came  forward  and  joined  us.  After  all  were  through,  the 
Colonel  picked  up  six-shooter,  and  seemed  to  be  examining  it 
attentively,  then  raised  his  head  suddenly  as  if  a  new  thought  had 
struck  him. 

"  Boys,"  said  he,  grinning  hideously,  "  what  do  you  say  to  a 
whole-hog  out-and-out  frolic  to-night  ?" 

"  I'm  for  it,"  said  one. 

"  I'm  thar  !"  said  Texas.     "  What  is  it,  Colonel  ?" 

"  Fellers,  we  must  have  Agatone,  any  how!" 

"  In  course — but  how  ?" 

"  Well,  we  can  stampede  the  sheep-pen — you  know  that's 
outside  the  gate ;  maybe  they'll  be  fools  enough  to  come  out ;  we 
can  make  a  rush  at  the  gate  then." 

"  She's  too  sharp  for  that,  Colonel  /" 

With  a  rasping  chuckle  and  vicious  significant  leer  he  merely 
said,  as  he  turned  off,  "  I  smell  something  burning — maybe  she 
will !" 

"  Ha !  that's  the  game  !  She'll  burn  blue  ?  won't  she,  Colonel  ?" 
was  said  by  some  one  as  they  all  rose  to  get  their  weapons, 

14* 


162 

without  another  syllable  of  comment  upon  this  monstrous 
position  being  considered  as  called  for  by  these  matter-of-fact 
personages.  The  idea  of  setting  fire  to  the  houses  of  three  or 
four  hundred  unoffending  human  beings,  that  the  insane  hate  of 
three  or  four  men  might  be  gratified  with  the  prospect  of  any 
amount  of  indiscriminate  slaughter,  was  too  infernally  rich  not  to 
be  revelled  in  by  these  chivalric  pioneers  of  the  blessings  of 
civilization  and  free  institutions !  What  were  Mexican  women 
and  children  born  for  but  to  afford  them  the  amusement  of  seeing 
them  roast !  This  cool  diabolicism,  though  it  could  not  fail,  under 
any  circumstances,  to  shock  me,  yet  hatl  at  least  the  merit  oi 
novelty — it  was  anomalous  in  my  experience  of  life,  and,  so  far 
as  curiosity  went,  attractive.  Opposition  I  knew  would  avail 
nothing,  and  merely  subject  me  to  suspicion  and  personal  danger; 
besides  the  companionship  of  peril  which  I  had  voluntarily  offered 
to  share  with  them  left  me  no  choice  but  to  see  them  through. 
My  probable  compunctions  and  whatever  of  humanity  I  had  left 
on  hand,  ought  to  have  been  looked  to  before  I  had  placed  myself 
in  such  relations.  As  it  was,  I  made  the  most  of  a  bad  move, 
and  endeavored  to  look  forward  to  the  anticipated  "  barbecue  of 
Yellow  Bellies,"  as  some  one  jocosely  called  it,  with  as  vividly 
pleasurable  sensations  as  I  could  summon. 

.The  fact  unquestionably  was,  that  this  Rancho  had  long  been 
the  greatest  nuisance  of  this  frontier.  Pretending  to  be  friendly 
to.  the  Texans,  the  old  Senora  Cavillo  had  secretly  aided  and 
encouraged  the  worst  of  the  border  depredators,  and  the  storm  of 
vengeance  for  several  years  had  been  muttering  upon  her 
horizon.  The  Texans  had  been  too  few  in  this  region  for  some 
time  to  attempt  her  destruction,  and  now  that  a  number — possibly 
sufficient — had  been 'brought  together,  and  that  under  circum 
stances  of  so  much  immediate  exasperation  against  her,  there  was 
no  telling  what  might  be  the  result  of  this  night's  work.  I  had, 
unconsciously  perhaps,  assimilated  very  much  in  my  feelings 
towards  the  Mexicans  with  the  tone  of  those  around  me, 
and  that  was  characterized  by  the  most  deadly  and  unutterable 
scorn. 

The  two  races  in  this  country  have  no  sympathy  in  common 
but  that  of  hatred  ;  on  the'  one  side  the  malignant  assassin  hate  of 


163 

coward  and  conscious  inferiority — on  the  other,  the  contemptuous 
exterminating  hate  of  domineering  brutality — secure  in  superior 
energies,  and  as  destitute  of  magnanimity  as  it  is  grasping.  This 
scorn  is  a  very  convenient  sentiment,  by  the  way,  too  often  assumed 
by  natures  having  in  them  generous  susceptibilities,  as  the 
readiest  mitigation,  and  higher  name  for  any  harsh  outbreak  ol 
licentious  passion  upon  inferiors. 

It  is  hard  for  warlike  men  to  'display  chivalry  towards  an 
ignoble  foe ;  ordinarily  courtesy  calls  forth  courtesy,  and  so  with 
its  opposite.  It  is  thus  on  this  frontier,  that  where  true  bravery 
exists  still,  it  has  •  most  frequently  degenerated  into  a  fierce 
relentlessness,  while  mere  qut-throat  ferocity  is  as  frequently 
mistaken  for  the  nobler  virtue.  There  is  little  call  for  the  higher 
traits  of  the  civilized  soldier,  and  they  are  as  little  known  as 
valued.  From  the  observation  of  such  facts,  I,  as  well,  strongly 
incline  to  doubt,  whether — with  all  the  parade  that  has  been  so 
popular  with  regard  to  the  prodigies  of  Texan  valor— tha* 
population  would  prove  at  all  superior,  if  even  equal  to  the 
"  corn-stalk  militia"  of  any  one  of  the  older  States  upon  an  equal 
field  against  an  equal  foe.  They  may  very  well  afford  to  fight 
Mexicans  five  to  one — as  the  boast  is — when  not  more  than  one 
in  that  five  can  fire  his  gun  without  shutting  his  eyes ;  besides, 
the  yet  more  important  fact  is,  that  the  social  virtues  of  which 
the  Texans  have  confessedly  as  yet  had  no  overplus  to  boast, 
are  the  truest  and  most  certain  incentives  of  heroism.  The  best 
soldiers  are  the  best  sons,  and  father's,  and  citizens.  They  have 
desperadoes  enough,  such  as  these  men  were,  who  feared  neither 
God  nor  man,  it  would  seem  ;  but  desperadoes  are  not  always 
the  surest  soldiers — they  are  ever  liable  to  being  panic-stricken 
when  attacked  on  the  blind  side,  or  when  called  upon  to  meet 
danger  in  any  unsuspected  or  unusual  way. 

These  are  general  observations  which  apply  to  a  population  in 
which  too  many  of  the  extremes  meet  for  anything  very  consistent 
to  be  looked  for.  The  truth  is;  I  was  gradually  becoming  Texan 
myself,  under  the  rapid  process  of  "  case-hardening"  to  which 
these  men  around  me  had  been  in  turn  subjected  ;  and  that  the 
incrustation  of  habit  was  insensibly  forming  over  the  moral  sense, 
I  became  occasionally  aware  at  such  times  as  this,  when  I  fcund 


1(54 

myself  so  readily  sophisticating — so  easily  reconciled — though 
conditions  absolutely  horrifying  in  themselves  were  presented. 
This  consciousness  would  make  me  extremely  restless  then,  and 
even  the  recollection  of  it  now  makes  me  perhaps  splenetically 
uncharitable  towards  these  men.  The  hate  engendered  through 
years  of  mutual  wrongs  had  not  yet  in  my  case  been  kindled  into 
a  fierce  devouring  flame  which  made  a  hell  at  the  heart  and 
madness  in  the  brain ;  yet  this  had  been  so  with  them,  and  with 
consequences  such  as  I  have  described,  and  shall  proceed  to  show, 
occurring  within  a  few  days!  judge  what  the  years  of  such  a  life 
must  have  been ! 

Black,  who  might  have  been  a  serious  and  unmanageable 
incumbrance  to  a  design  requiring  great  secresy,  had  fortunately 
fallen  asleep,  after  devouring,  Uke  a  famished  wild  beast,  an 
enormous  meal.  We  set  off  in  silence  for  the  Rancho,  accom 
panied  by  Castro  and  his  warriors  on  foot.  They  wer^  sent 
ahead  with  orders  to  seize,  without  noise,  any  straggler  they 
might  find,  to  prevent  the  alarm  being  given.  The  moon  was 
out  very  bright,  but  her  rays  penetrated  feebly  beneath  the  dense 
umbrage  of  the  forest  as  we  approached  the  log-bridge  of  which  I 
have  spoken. 

We  had  nearly  reached  this  difficult  passage,  when  a  sudden 
commotion  among  the  Indians  announced  that  something  had  hap 
pened.  There  was  a  scattering,  crashing,  and  scrambling  through 
the  thickets  for  a  moment — a  stifled  cry — and  they  came  out 
dragging  among  them  a  prisoner !  Who  should  it  be,  trembling 
in  a  mortal  panic,  but  Master  Antone,  whose  unaccountable  dis 
appearance  after  the  capture  of  Davis  had  since  been  frequently 
commented  upon  in  no  mincing  terms.  Indeed,  every  one  sus 
pected  him  of  too  warm  a  sympathy  for  the  traitor,  and  friendship 
for  the  old  Senora  ;  and  threats  had  been  let  fall'  which  now,  it, 
appeared,  were  to  be  executed.  I  saw  there  would  be  little 
chance  for  him  when  Castro  reported  that  he  had  heard  him  or 
some  one  else  run  from  a  thicket  close  to  the  Colonel's  Rancho, 
wnen  we  came  out,  and  that,  suspecting  he  would  make  for  the  log, 
he  had  intercepted  him.  This  placed  Sir  Braggadocio  under  the 
unpleasant  imputation  of  having  added  the  character  of  spy  to  his 
many  salient  qualities.  The  proposition  was  made  instanter  to 


165 

swing  him  up  to  the  nearest  limb.  The  Indians,  first  binding  hii 
mouth  to  keep  him  quiet,  proceeded  to  halter  him.  I  had  witness 
ed  enough  of  such  murders  for  one  day,  and  was  unwilling  to  sea 
this  harmless  wretch  lose  his  life  so  unceremoniously;  though  I  saw 
as  well  that  the  men  were  too  fiercely  roused  to  be  entirely  divert 
ed  from  their  purpose  of  vengeance.  I  proposed  that  we  should 
throw  him  off  the  log  into  the  river,  tighten  and  secure  the  rope 
just  sufficiently  to  keep  his  head  above  water,  and  leave  him  there 
to  drown  at  his  leisure — intending  myself  to  come  back  and  re 
lease  him  so  soon  as  I  could  get  away  from  the  party.  The 
novelty  of  Lhis  proposition  won  for  it  success ;  and  with  low  hearty 
chucklings  of  Daughter,  which  could  hardly  be  restrained  from 
bursting  into  shouts,  they  dragged  the  miserable  rascal  to  the  log, 
and,  after  securely  swathing  his  mouth,  plumped  him  off  into  the 
water.  Hays,  who  understood  my  motive,  assisted  me  with  great 
zeal  in  adjusting  the  rope.  The  rapidity  of  the  stream  soon 
brought  him  up  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  at  full  length,  below 
the  log.  There  we  left  him  stretched — his  hands  clenched  des 
perately  on  the  rope,  to  prevent  it  tightening  to  suffocation  around 
his  throat — playing  to  and  fro,  like  a  hooked  trout  on  the  current, 
the  violence  of  which  would  now  ana  then  take  him  clear  under 
suddenly,  to  bob  up  again  as  quickly — a  rather  funny,  but  not 
very  dangerous  predicament,  s^  long  as  the  strength  of  his  arms 
lasted.  The  knave  fully  deserved  the  punishment,  severe  as  it 
was,  and  we  left  him  to  the  darkness  and  to  the  infinite  agonies 
of  such  suspense  !  All  but  ITays  and  myself  expected  him  to 
drown  of  course,  which  would  be  inevitable  so  soon  as  his  arms 
gave  out ;  and  the  diabolical  ingenuity  of  such  a  mode  of  tortur 
ing  to  death  gained  me  great  applause,  and  entirely  reinstated  me 
In  the  confidence  of  the  Colonel,  which  had  been  greatly  shaken 
by  my  officious  humanity  on  a  former  occasion.  I  was  now  pro 
nounced  worthy  of  Texas ! ! 

When  we  were  all  over  the  log  the  Colonel  proceeded  to  explain 
more  fully  the  plan  of  operation  determined  upon,  and  having 
assigned  each  one  his  post,  we  commenced  approaching  the  ran- 
cho  with  the  precaution  necessary  to  insure  against  giving  the 
alarm.  The  time  for  making  active  demonstrations  was  fixed  for 
midnight ;  until  then  we  were  to  occupy  separately  certain  loca- 


166 

Kons  which  brought  every  side  of  the  rancho  under  the  eye  of 
some  one,  so  that  Agatone  might  be  foiled  in  any  attempt  to 
escape  prematurely.  We  were  then  to  draw  up  in  two  detach* 
ments  near  the  great  gate  on  each  side,  and  wait  the  result  of  the 
intended  manoauvre.  The  position  assigned  me  was  on  the  river 
bank,  near  some  huts  outside  the  picketing.  I  was  rejoiced  at 
this  chance,  for  it  gave  me  the  opportunity  I  desired  of  creeping 
back  and  rescuing  Antone. 

I  waited  until  the  men,  who  were  cautiously  moving  off  to  their 
different  posts,  had  all  disappeared.  I  then  slid  lower  down  the 
bank,  and  was  starting  off  noiselessly  under  its  shadow,  when, a 
faint  "  whist !"  sounded  near  me,  suspended  my  steps.  A.S  1 
turned,  a  figure,  emerging  from  the  loose  sand  in  which  it  had 
been  covered,  sprang  up,  and  showed  me  the  cunning  elfish  face 
of  the  boy  John.  He  came  close  to  me,  and  peering  up  into  my 
face  with  a  saucy  leer,  whispered, . 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ye'r  gwine  to  help  him  worry  the  old  cat  some  to- 
night — is  ye  ?" 

The  first  thought  which  crossed  my  mind  on  seeing  the 
boy — excited  and  anxious  as  I  felt  for  the  life  of  Antone,  who 
might  give  out  any  minute — was  not  surprise  that  he  should  be  in 
such  a  place  and  so  concealed,  but  that  ha  was  the  very  person 
to  be  sent  to  save  the  poor  fellow.  His  size  and  dexterity  would 
enable  him  to  reach  the  log  much  sooner  than  I  could,  without  the 
fear  of  giving  the  alarm.  So  catching  him  by  the  arm,  I  drew 
him  with  me  to  a  more  shaded  place,  slipped  a  piece  of  money 
into  his  hand,  and  hastily  explaining  the  circumstances,  promised 
him  more  money  if  he  would  go  and  extricate  Antone  as  quickly 
as  possible.  He  heard  me  through,  and  at  my  urgency  bounded 
off  rapidly,  saying — "  Never  mind ;  W.fx  him  for  ye,  boss  !" 

It  was  not  until  the  creature  was  out  of  sight,  that  I  thought 
of  the  strange,  vicious  significancy  of  the  look  with  which  that 
promise  had  been  made.  I  had  been  too  greatly  flurried  to  think 
of  or  observe  anything  but  the  getting  him  off  in  time — for  Antone 
had  now  been  in  the  water  half  an  hour,  and  there  was  not  a 
moment  to  be  lost.  I  instantly  associated  tha_  peculiar  look 
with  a  fact  I  had  heard  the  Texan  laugmng  about — namely,  that 
whi.e  we  were  gone  to  Bexar  after  the  Rangers,  Antone  had 


167 

accused  John  to  the  Colonel  of  stealing  from  his  pork  barrel— 
which,  it  will  be  remembered,  -was  the  truth — and  that  this,  toge 
ther  with  other  causes  of  exasperation,  had  gained  for  John  a 
most  brutally  severe  beating  at  the  hands  of  the  Colonel ;  recol 
lecting,  too,  the  boy's -reputation  for  malignancy,  it  at  once  flashed 
upon  me  that  he  intended  to  make  this  the  opportunity  of  a  ven 
geance,  the  extent  of  which  it  would  be  hard  to  conjecture. 

I  set  off  on  the  moment  at  my  best  speed,  to  counteract,  if 
possible,  what  might  be  the  consequences  of  my  inconsiderate 
haste.  My  progress  was  slow  enough — for  to  prevent  discovery 
it  was  necessary  to  creep  close  under  the  'jank  next  to  the  water's 
edge — and  my  hurry  and  impatience  did  not  improve  the  rapidity 
of  my  progress.  Now  slipping  down  the  crumbling  bank  into 
the  water — then  wading  through  the  slush  and  mire  until  I  could 
drag  myself  out  by  a  bush,  I  succeeded  at  last  in  reaching  a  point 
near  the  log,  where  I  could  safely  ascend  among  the  trees  on 
to  firm  ground.  I  paused  a  minute  to  listen,  and  could  distin 
guish  the  sound  of  heavy  splashing  and  struggles  in  the  water, 
and  a  subdued  guttural  noise  like  smothered  laughter,  and  now 
and  then  a  plunge  as  of  some  object  falling.  I  stepped  noiselessly 
forward  to  where  I  could  command  a  view  of  the  log.  The 
figure  of  the  boy  lay  crouched  on  the  middle  of  the  bridge. 
Observing  him  a  moment,  I  saw  that  he  was  holding  on  with  his 
feet,  and  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  was  thrusting  a  long 
pole  violently  down  at  the  hands  and  head  of  the  wretched 
Antone,  evidently  with  the  hope  of  breaking  his  despairing  grasp 
of  the  rope,  or  thrusting  his  head  beneath  the  water.  He  accom 
panied  every  blow  with  a  hissing  laugh  and  some  such  exclama 
tions  as — 

"  It's  me  !  It's  John  ! — he  !  he  !  I  telled  ye  so — I  said 
I'd  fix  you — cussed  Yaller  Belly  !  he  !  he  !  Let  go,  will  ye, 
honey!  Tell  old  Red-Head  on  John  agin?  I'll  spile  them 
blinkers  for  ye  !  yah  !  yah  !  ha  !  ha !" — and  the  little  fiend 
eased  himself  up  on  thr-  log  to  indulge  a  heartier  burst  of  merri. 
ment  at  his  stfccess  in  having  struck  one  of  the  eyes  of  the  victim, 
which  were  already  almost  bursting  from  their  sockets,  as  they 
upturned  in  the  spasm  of  a  mute  imploring  agony. 

I  had  in  the  meantime  been  approaching  him  unobserved  and 


168 

at  this  moment  stood  over  him,  and  saw  that  the  pain  caused  by 
this  last  savage  expedient  had  compelled  Antone  to  quit  his  hold 
upon  the  rope,  and  in  an  instant  it  had  tightened  upon  his  throat. 
Enraged  beyond  all  restraint  at  the  ferocious  and  unparalleled 
deviltry  of  the  young  murderer,  I,  without  any  warning  or  con 
sideration,  struck  him  a  violent  blow  which  knocked  him  off  the 
log,  and  the  swift  stream  instantly  swept  him  out  of  sight.  I  then 
laid  my  gun  on  the  log,  and,  cutting  loose  the  rope,  with  the  end 
in  my  hand  sprang  off  into  the  water.  I  was  a  good  swimmer, 
and  seizing  the  body  of  Antone  made  for  the  bank.  The  force 
of  the  current  swept  me  down  a  long  distance,  and,  encumbered 
as  I  was,  I  should  hardly  have  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore 
with  my  burden,  but  that  the  favorable  accident  of  my  being 
swept  in  reach  of  the  twigs  of  a  tree  which  leaned  far  over  the 
current,  allowed  me  to  drag  myself  and  it  out  with  great  difficulty. 
Loosening  the  rope,  and  tearing  open  his  shirt,  I  found  to  my 
relief  that  the  heart  still  fluttered  faintly — and  when  I  tore  the 
bandage  from  his  mouth  the  water  poured  forth  copiously. 

It  was  several  hours  before  the  wretched  Antone  had  suffi 
ciently  recovered  for  me  to  leave  him.  The  fright,  the  drench 
ing,  and  the  blows  he  had  received  from  the  boy,  united,  had 
almost  annihilated  what  energies  of  life  there  were  in  hit 
shrivelled  carcase.  With  his  crushed  eye,  and  the  ghastly  saffron 
of  his  face,  he  was  a  sufficiently  unpleasing  companion  beneath 
the  glooms  of  that  deep  forest,  which  were  only  fitfully  informed 
with  moonlight.  I  was  glad  enough  when  I  saw  him  able  to  sit 
up  unassisted,  and  rose  to  leave  him,  for  I  could  do  nothing  more 
now.  He  was  not  strong  enough  to  walk  to  the  Rancho,  leaving 
out  of  the  question  the  impossibility  of  his  obtaining  admission 
there,  even  should  he  reach  it.  Besides,  I  had  merely  com 
promised  with  my  own  conscience  in  saving  the  life  of  the  mise 
rable  creature ;  and  now  that  had  been  accomplished,  I  felt  no 
special  "  yearning  of  the  spirit"  towards  him,  "vnich  might  keep 
me  at  his  side  to  comfort  him  in  the  darkness  ;  and  ^ru  y  did  It 
seem  to  need  a  comforter. 

When  he  saw  that  I  was  going  to  leave  him  he  clung  fia.ucio 
ally  to  my  limbs,  and  with  the  idiotic  mouthings  of  his  terror  re«v: . 
a  most  dismal  pleading  for  me  to  stay.  It  was  time  for  me  to  U 


169 

at  my  post,  and  for  fear  the  rnoans  of  even  this  reptile  humanity 
might  move  me  too  much,  I  shook  his  clenched  grip  violently  oft 
and  started  hastily  for  the  Rancho.  His  voice  followed  me — as  i 
struggled  through  the  dense  brush — for  some  distance.  The 
creature's  feeble  wits  had  been  temporarily  addled  by  the  night's 
work.  Hideous  as  portions  of  it  had  been,  and  painful  as  those 
sounds  were,  I  remember — just  as  they  were  dying  away — that  I 
burst  into  a  hearty  laugh  as  the  ludicrous  contrast  presented 
itself  of  valiant  Sir  Braggadocio  Antone,  in  the  glory  of  one  of 
his  boasting  feats,  and  the  writhing,  pitiable  thing  I  had  just  left. 
The  nerves,  when  unstrung  through  scenes  like  these,  grow 
unnaturally  impressible,  and  vibrate  to  strange  humors.  One 
feels  sometimes  as  though  he  would  laugh  though  tottering  on  the 
sheer  brink  of  some  red  shaft  to  Tartarus.  Curious  problem ! 
— this  monstrous  trinity,  Man — part  fiend,  part  angel,  and  part 
brute. 

Tt  would  require  a  strong  reliance  upon  the  evidence  of  things 
unseen,  to  suppose  any  part  of  him  could  be  developed  in  such  a 
life  as  that  on  this  frontier,  other  than  his  fiend  and  brute 
natures. 


170 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


A     NIGHT    ATTTACK 


I  R&A:HED  the  log — recovered  my  gun,  and  set  off  for  my  post 
the  ray  I  came — along  under  the  bank  of  the  river.  Mid- 
night,  I  knew,  was  very  near  if  not  passed,  and  this  was  the 
time  for  the  attack  upon  the  Rancho  to  commence.  It  would  be 
disgraceful  for  me  to  fail  of  being  there  at  the  crisis.  I  hurried 
on  regardless  of  mud  and  water,  for  the  last  few  hours  had  suffi 
ciently  familiarized  me  with  both.  I  soon  gained  a  point  where, 
from  the  top  of  a  bank,  sheltered  by  the  trees,  I  could  command 
a  perfect  view  of  the  Rancho  beneath  the  clear  moonlight.  The 
intervening  space  was  open,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  scattered 
trees.  Its  low,  square  bulk  looked  as  dark  as  death  ;  not  a 
glimmer  of  light  or  the  faintest  sound  came  from  it.  The  great 
gate  was  in  front  of  me.  A  little  to  the  left,  and  separated  by  a 
short  interval,  was  the  lower  picketing  of  the  sheep-pen — a  large 
inclosure  in  which  the  immense  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  belong 
ing  to  such  Ranches  are  collected  at  night.  These  creatures  are 
easily  "  stampeded"  or  frightened,  and  will  make  noise  enough 
to  wake  the  seven  sleepers,  in  the  effort  to  escape.  I  saw  the 
figures  of  men  stealthily  gliding  from  tree  to  tree  as  they 
approached  the  gate,  or  creeping  around  the  Rancho  picketing 
beneath  its  shadows  towards  the  same  point ;  so  I  was  just  in 
time. 

It  occurred  to  me  from  the  caution  with  which  the  men  moved 
that  they  had  perceived  evidences  of  alertness  on  the  parf  of  the 
people  of  the  Rancho,  which  I  had  not  suspected.  According  to 
the  plan  of  attack  we  were  to  lie  in  wait  on  each  side  of  the 


171 

gate,  to  be  ready  for  a  rush  if  it  should  be  thrown  open  for  th«» 
shepherds  to  come  out  to  quiet  their  flocks.  Already  the  hoarse 
oark  of  the  shepherd  dogs  had  announced  to  the  silence  that 
something  was  wrong.  This  is  a  very  noble  and  fierce  race  of 
these  animals,  original  in,  and  peculiar  to,  Mexico.  They  are 
taken  when  young,  and  being  nourished  at  the  dugs  of  a  she-goat 
ever  afterwards  live  with  the  flock,  a  foster-child  and  a  protector. 
Their  deep-mouthed  savage  baying  seemed  now  about  to  precipi 
tate  matters.  The  men  threw  themselves  flat  upon  the  ground, 
while  the  crash  of  broken  bars  was  followed  by  the  sudden  and 
stunning  clatter  and  ba-a-ing  of  near  a  thousand  panic-stricken 
animals.  I  took  instant  advantage  of  the  confusion  to  glide  over 
the  interval  unnoticed,  and  take  my  place  in  the  nearest  party  of 
the  Rangers.  The  dogs  came  through  the  broken  bars  along 
with  their  maddened  and  rushing  charge.  They  dashed  upon  us 
at  once.  The  men,  who  had  been  ordered  not  to  fire,  were  pre 
pared  to  dispose  of  this  difficulty  very  quietly,  and  at  a  few 
strokes  of  their  long,  heavy  bowie  knives,  emphasized  by  a  mut 
tered  curse  or  so,  the  most  fierce  of  the  gallant  fellows  wer§ 
silenced. 

A  very  large  old  white  bitch  sprang  so  suddenly  at  the  Colo 
nel's  throat,  that  he  had  a  severe  struggle  before  he  shook  her  off 
with  a  cloven  skull.  He  had  been  standing  near  the  gate  of  the 
pen,  which  he  had  broken  the  moment  after  throwing  the  wolf 
skin  among  the  flock  which  had  caused  the  panic.  The  men 
around  me  could  scarcely  suppress  their  1  ughter  while  he  was 
engaged  in  this  novel  battle  ;  while  he  vho  had  been  sufficiently 
chafed  before,  was  rendered  wildly  furicus  by  the  startle  of  abso 
lute  danger  from  a  quarter  so  unexpected. 

In  the  meantime  the  people  of  the  Rancho  were  aroused,  as  the 
confusion  of  voices  and  hurrying  to  and  fro  of  lights  sufficiently 
showed.  The  idea  flashed  through  my  mind  that  everybody 
seemed  to  wake  up  very  suddenly  ;  for,  judging  from  the  clamors 
inside,  every  soul  in  the  Rancho  must  have  been  astir  in  a  few 
minutes.  Suddenly  there  was  an  entire  lull  of  these  sounds,  and 
we  heard  bolts  and  chains  rattling  at  tho  gate.  The  momen. 
these  sounds  reached  us,  the  Colonel  bounded  to  the  side  of  the 
gate  where  it  opened  outwards.  He  said  in  a  sharp,  eager  whis. 


172 

per,  "  Ready,  boys  ! — follow  me  ;"  and  then  crouching  close  tt 
the  wall,  I  could  see  his  dim  figure  against  it  bent  in  the  attitude 
for  springing,  and  his  eyes  literally  emitting  flames  in  the  con- 
centration  of  his  fury.  We  all  shifted  our  positions  in  pre» 
paration  for  bounding  quickly  up.  It  was  a  pulseless  pause. 
There  seemed  to  be  some  difficulty  in  getting  the  gate  open,  while 
we  forgot  to  breathe  in  watching  the  moment  when  it  would 
swing  back. 

This  unaccountable  stillness,  so  simultaneous,  and  only  broken 
now  by  the  noise  at  the  gate — for  the  flock  was  far  enough  off 
running  like  mad — struck  me  as  ominous,  and  it  proved  to  be  so 
with  a  vengeance.  Instead  of  the  gate  being  thrown  open,  there 
was  a  sudden  commotion  on  the  top  of  the  high  picketing  just 
over  it ;  and  before  we  could  think  what  it  meant,  a  shower  of 
some  fluid  was  suddenly  plumped  upon  the  heads  of  the  Colonel 
and  those  who  were  nearest  him.  A  portion  of  it  was  spattered 
upon  me,  and  I  felt  that  it  was  hot  as  lava.  The  convulsive 
spring  and  the  involuntary  yell  of  agony  which  followed  from 
those  upon  whom  this  fiery  benediction  fell  most  bountifully, 
bore  witness  to  its  singular  fervency.  Two  or  three  figures 
were  visible  for  an  instant  on  the  top  of  the  picketing,  one  of 
which  I  thought  was  that  of  the  old  Senora.  A  shrill,  taunting 
laugh  broke  from  it,  which  reminded  me  of  all  that  would  be 
hideous  in  the  quaverings  of  a  dozen  screech-owls  united  in  one 
prolonged  scream  ;  while  the  arms  were  tossed  wildly  to  and  fro 
for  a  moment,  and,  as  we  fired,  it  suddenly  disappeared.  It  was 
the  old  Jezebel  beyond  a  doubt.  We  had  been  much  too  discom 
fited  and  flurried ;  it  was  uncertain  whether  we  had  hit  any  of 
them !  The  fact  that  that  infernal  laugh  still  continued  to  be 
heard,  even  above  the  jubilant  triumphing  roar  of  the  Mexicans" 
inside,  settled  this  doubt.  We  had  been  nicely  overreached. 

A  rich  scene  was  now  presented.  The  Colonel  was  on  the 
ground  rolling,  writhing,  and  moaning  with  the  pain,  while  others 
of  the  party,  in  various  postures,  were  making  no  less  expressive 
demonstrations.  There  was  a  strong  smell  of  tallow  in  the  air, 
and  the  clothes  of  the  unfortunates  rapidly  whitened  as  the  fluid 
cooled,  until  they  looked  like  anticking  ghosts  in  the  moonlight. 

"  He,  he  !"  chuckled  Bill,  who  was  at  my  side  and  had  in  t 


173 

great  measure  escaped,  "  how  hot  it  is,  Colonel — told  you  she  war 
kin  to  old  split-foot !" 

Nothing  but  his  broad-brimmed  hat  and  buckskins  had  saved 
the  Colonel  from  instant  death  ;  as  it  was,  between  the  exquisite 
agony  and  his  baffled  rage,  he  was  quite  frantic.  He  howled  out 
a  furious  imprecation  in  answer  to  this  quaintly-timed  jest,  and 
rising,  staggered  towards  Bill,  as  I  thought,  with  the  intention  ol 
striking  him.  He  only  seized  him  by  the  arm  and  shook  him 
violently,  then  thrusting  his  purple  and  distorted  face  close  to  that 
of  the  Trapper,  he  said  in  a  sharp  whisper,  while  his  lips  were 
perfectly  rigid — 

"  We'll  try  it  on  HER,  Bill  Johnson ! — we'll  roast  her — wont 
we,  Bill — alive  ?" 

"  Kern,  it  no  use — she  wont  burn — but  we'll  try." 

Bill  said  this  in  a  stern,  lowered  voice,  and  with  something 
like  an  expression  of  hopelessness  which  struck  me  as  caused  by 
the  superstition  which  had  taken  hold  on  him  with  regard  to  the 
old  Senora.  The  men  were  clamorous — such  of  them  as  had 
been  scalded — with  ungovernable  rage  ;  and  cries  of  "  strike  a 
fire," — "  run  for  wood," — "  we'll  burn  it  down," — "  bum 
her  up,"  &c.,  were  'followed  by  immediate  action.  There  was 
TO  be  no  child's  play  now,  I  saw  ;  and,  indeed,  found  myself  as 
excited  as  the  rest,  and  justifying  the  most  ferocious  extremes  of 
retaliation.  In  the  midst  of  the  curses  and  clamors,  the  indomi 
table  Fitz  shouted  out  to  some  of  the  tallow-coated  sufferers  who 
were  most  obstreperous — 

"  Boys,  keep  cool — don't  catch  afire,  you  wick-ed  fellows ;  you 
jio-d  better  keep  yer  light  under  a  bushel  to-night — we  shan't  need 
it,  I  judge." 

"  Yes,  but  we  shall  have  a  light  now — like  a  city  set  upon  a  hill 
— wont  we  ?"  said  the  Bravo,  laughing,  while  he  struck  fire  with 
his  flint  and  steel.  There  was  something  very  ghastly  in  this 
pioiane  wit,  but  it  was  sufficiently  in  keeping  with  the  men  and 
'.he  occasion.  Hays,  who  had  been  severely  scalded,  and  between 
'he  pain  and  the  shame  was  more  excited  than  he  had  ever  been 
known  to  become  before,  now  went  hurrying  to  and  fro  to  organ 
ise  the  measures  for  instant  attack.  Fragments  of  dried  wood 
and  arms-full  cf  moss  were  brought  from  the  fcrest  close  at  hand, 

15* 


174 

and  piled  up  against  the  gate,  while  the  few  little  huts  we  have 
spoken  of  as  on  the  outside  of  the  picketing  which  faced  the  river, 
were  stripped  of  everything  they  contained  that  was  inflamma 
ble.  Boards,  beds,  cotton  garments,  &c.,  were  thrown  upon  the 
heap,  in  the  coolest  disregard  of  the  wailings  of  their  unoffending 
owners. 

With  the  greatest  difficulty  I  managed  to  prevent  them  from 
dragging  the  bed  from  under  the  poor  wounded  Mexican — con 
cerning  my  interest  in  whom  I  have  detailed  before.  Women 
and  children  were  fluttering  around  the  scene,  making  most  dis 
mal  complainings.  As  these  formidable  preparations  were  now 
completed,  we  had  time  to  perceive  that  everything  had  become 
still  again  in  the  Rancho. 

"  Fire  it  up,  boys  !  fire  it  up  !     Where's  any  fire  ?" 

These  hoarse  words  from  the  Colonel  sounded  startlingly  dis 
tinct  in  the  sudden  pause. 

"  Here  it  is  !"  said  the  Bravo,  coming  forward  with  a  bundle 
of  blazing  moss  in  his  hand. 

"  Look  sharp,  Bravo,"  Bill  sang  out  from  behind.  "  The  old 
hell-cat's  on  hand  above  there  !" 

I  looked  quickly  around.  Bill  was  standing  some  distance  in 
the  rear,  on  a  knoll  that  commanded  a  better  view  of  the  top  of 
the  picketing,  and  held  old  Sue  in  such  a  position  as  would  ena 
ble  him  to  fire  at  the  first  movement  he  saw.  At  the  same  mo 
ment  a  low  titter  was  heard  from  above. 

"  That's  she  !"  gnashed  the  Colonel,  as  he  drew  his  six-shooter 
up  to  his  face.  We  all  did  the  same  with  our  guns.  "  Shoot  a 
little  finger  if  you  see  it,  boys !" 

The  reckless  Bravo,  who  had  not  hesitated  an  instant,  or  even 
looked  up,  was  kneeling  beside  the  pile  applying  the  fire,  when 
suddenly  three  or  four  figures  were  jutted  above  the  top  profile 
of  the  picket — to  be  fired  at  by  our  whole  platoon — and  disappear 
as  quickly.  Before  we  had  time  to  wink  our  eyes,  a  number  of 
figures  appeared  again,  returned  our  fire,  and  sent  down  a  new 
shower  of— hoi  water  this  time — upon  the  Bravo.  (They  were 
too  cunning  to  try  the  inflammable  tallow  now.)  The  Co'onel'a 
repeater  was  fired  instantly  again,  and  the  shriek  which  followed 
the  second  disappearance  showed  that  it  had  been  with  effect.  "  No 


175 

ffed  skirts  thai  time,  I  leckonl"  he  chuckled,  as  he  shifted  tht 
chambers  of  his  piece.  They  had  drawn  our  whole  fire  into 
shan.s. 

•'  He  ?  he  !"  shouted  Bill,  as  he  loaded.  "  Boys,  she's  made 
a  tarnal  pack  o'  pea-green  fools  of  us.  Half  er  ye  hold  fire  next 
time  !  Listen  how  the  witch-critter  sniggers  at  us !" 

Sure  enough,  that  pleasant  screech  was  S9unding  in  a  sort  of 
spasmodic  ecstasy  behind  the  picketing.  The  Bravo,  who  was 
mutely  writhing  in  the  "  shirt  of  Nessus,"  which  had  been  so 
unceremoniously  bestowed  upon  him,  sprang  to  the  small  fire  he 
had  kindled  to  light  the  moss  by,  and  which  was  still  burning 
feebly,  and  gathering  the  scattered  fragments  in  his  najted  fingers 
proceeded  to  kindle  the  pile  anew.  They  tried  the  manoeuvre 
of  the  shams  again,  but  with  less  success,  for  only  two  shots  were 
wasted  at  them.  The  skirmish  now  commenced  in  earnest.  The 
shifting  and  significant  pantomime  of  from  eighty  to  a  hundred 
heads  and  shoulders  appearing  here  and  there  along  the  dim  out 
line  of  the  picketing,  to  fire  an  old  escopet  at  us  quickly  and  dis 
appear,  gave  us  sufficient  employment.  Our  rapid  and  dexterous 
firing  covered  the  Bravo  effectually ;  for  no  one  on  the  picket 
dared  to  expose  his  body  by  leaning  forward  far  enough  to  bring 
a  gun  to  bear  upon  him  so  close  below.  They  could  only  spring 
up  for  a  second,  fire  without  aim,  and  dip  down  again ;  and  alert 
as  they  were,  the  sharp  cry  or  the  groan  which  sometimes  fol 
lowed  our  shots  told  that  they  were  suffering. 

We  kept  them  by  the  dread  of  our  superior  marksmanship  so 
effectually  under  cover,  that  though  they  wasted  bad  powder 
enough,  and  many  of  us  were  standing  openly  exposed,  their  fire 
did  us  little  mischief.  A  shower  of  twigs  cut  down  by  some 
erratic  ball  would  now  and  then  fall  over  us,  or  the  dust  would 
be  knocked  up  at  our  feet.  But  when  the  Bravo  had  succeeded 
in  setting  fire  to  the  heap,  and  the  flames  began  to  mount  up 
strongly,  matters  became  more  serious.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the 
whole  population  of  the  Rancho  made  its  appearance  at  once  in 
solid  line  of  heads,  and  a  perfect  storm  of  curses,  missiles,  and 
bullets  were  sent  after  his  retreat.  Quite  severely  wounded,  he 
took  refuge  in  the  sheep-pen,  upon  which  we  found  ourselves 
compelled  to  fall  back  for  protection,  with  the  loss  of  two  men 


176 

and  several  wounded.  This  was  getting  to  be  fierce  work.  EA  en 
Fitz  forgot  to  be  witty  ! 

"  Boys,  don't  scatter  yer  fire,"  shouted  the  Colonel ;  "  thin  'zm 
from  over  the  gate  '" 

One  platoon  was  sufficient  to  vacate  the  place  for  the  moment ; 
.but  before  we  were  ready  to  fire  again  they  had  thrown  over  more 
water,  and  the  fire  appeared  to  be  quite  extinguished.  We  could 
hear  the  shrill  screams  of  the  old  Senora,  directing,  threatening, 
and  driving  her  cowardly  people  up  to  the  defence.  She  was 
perfectly  aroused  and  desperate.  We  saw  that  her  ferocious  cun 
ning  was  about  to  defeat  us.  She  had  inspired  her  imbecile  people, 
in  spite  of  themselves,  with  something  of  her  own  spirit ;  and  as 
the  volume  of  steam  and  smoke  from  the  smouldering  fire  rolled 
up,  there  was  a  general  burst  of  derision  and  defiance,  above 
which  her  own  wiry  treble  shrilled  in  fitting  accord.  With  all 
our  boundless  contempt  for  the  Mexicans,  we  were  beginning  to 
find  out  that  destroying  a  Rancho  with  over  three  hundred  people 
inside  of  it,  and  a  high  strong  picketing  around  it,  was  no  light 
undertaking  even  for  something  less  than  a  dozen  Texans. 

Castro  and  his  warriors — who,  though  they  had  no  guns,  might 
have  been  of  some  assistance  to  us  in  causing  a  diversion — had 
been  assigned,  before  the  attack  commenced,  their  positions  at  wide 
intervals  around  the  whole  Rancho,  with  orders  not  to  budge, 
whatever  might  happen,  until  their  chief  had  been  sent  for,  so 
that  we  were  deprived  of  their  agency. 

In  his  stolid  faithfulness,  Castro  would  not  have  moved  after 
such  a  command  from  Hays,  without  his  permission,  if  the  Rancho 
had  been  blown  sky-high  and  we  all  along  with  it.  The  business 
of  his  warriors  was  to  watch  for  Agatone  and  to  intercept  his 
escape ;  and  so  much  had  the  chief  accustomed  them  to  the  des 
potism  of  literal  obedience  that,  unless  a  command  had  come 
through  him,  personally,  or  through  some  understood  sign  or 
watchword,  they  would  have  died  in  their  tracks  rather  than 
have  stirred  for  any  other  duty  than  that  he  had  appointed. 

That  a  renewal  of  the  attack  upon  the  gate,  and  of  the  effort 
to  rekindle  the  fire,  would  be  something  worse  than  madness  nearly 
all  felt  but  the  Colonel.  It  seemed  to  be  utterly  impossible  for. him 
to  realize  that,  as  we  had  lost  two  men,  and  had  several  nearly  dis- 


177 

*blsd  in  the  first  attack,  we  should  not  be  able  to  accomplish  twice 
as  much  with  half  the  number  in  a  second  onset,  when  the  whole 
population  of  the  Rancho  had  been  roused  to  desperation  in  the 
defence  of  theif  hearth-stones.  Entirely  discomfited,  we  were 
crouched  behind  the  low  fence  of  the  sheep-pen,  to  consult  as  to 
the  steps  next  to  be  taken.  The  Colonel  was  sufficiently  raving 
and  unreasonable — for  quite  characteristically  he  swore  that  we 
might,  could,  and  would,  get  into  the  Rancho  somehow,  at  any  rate 
— that  enter  it  we  should,  even  if  we  used  our  craniums  for  batter 
ing-rams,  and  were  tilted  in  "  head  foremost."  Several  of  the 
men  were  likewise  of  opinion  that,  after  such  scalding  indignities, 
TEXANS  would  not  only  be  able  to  demolish  a  contemptible  Rancbo 
at  a  blow,  but  that  even  if  the  "  Planetary  plague"  of  baleful 
Mars  "  hung  i'  the  sick  air,"  by  vengeful  Jove !  had  been  the 
offender,  they  would  scale  its  high  place  and  pluck  its  red  hair, 
to  be  trampled  in  the  mire  of  their  scorn.  Such  direful  and  ter 
rific  resolves  were  sufficiently  in  keeping  with  the  extravagant 
heroics  of  this  Frontier  life. 

The  only  possible  question  left  open  for  discussion  was  the 
practicability  of  all  this.  The  tame  and  cowardly  sentiment  that 
everything  they  chose  to  purpose  might  not  be  accomplished,  was 
not  to  be  endured  in  the  utterance.  These  men  had  become  se 
accustomed  to  bearing  down  everything  before  them,  that 
absolutely  nothing  appeared  to  them  impossible  ;  and  I  lost  all 
the  ground  I  had  gained  in  their  confidence,  when  I  attempted 
to  make  them  see  the  utter  absurdity  of  any  further  attempts 
upon  the  Rancho.  The  firing  on  both  sides  had  ceased. 

A  very  excited  discussion  was  angrily  proceeding  as  to  the 
course  proper  to  be  taken  now,  when  it  was  all  at  once 
Jiscovered  that  Bill  Johnson  was  no  longer  in  our  midst.  What 
!iad  become  of  him  at  such  a  crisis,  when  we  needed  every 
energy  of  every  member  of  the  party  who  had  been  left 
alive  ? 

"  Bill  knows  what  he  is  about,"  said  Hays  ;  "  we  shall  hear 
from  him  presently." 

Sure  enough  ;  within  two  minutes  the  wild  war-whoop  of  the 
Lipans  was  sounded  from  the  other  side  of  the  Rancho,  and 
following  it  instantly,  a  spire  of  flame  shot  up  from  the  same 


178 

quarter  towards  the  zenith,  illuminating  the  whole  region  with 
great  distinctness.  The  discomfited  Rangers  sprang  to  their  feet, 
and  their  answering  yell  had,  in  its  electric  burst,  a  savagery  that 
reminded  me  of  famished  wild  beasts  replying  to  the  call  of  their 
shagged  brethren  to  a  feast  of  blood.  A  diversion  had  been 
suddenly  made  by  Bill  and  Castro. 

The  wary  trapper  had  perceived  in  time  that  all  was  lost  in 
front,  and  had  glided  away — fortified  with  a  watchword  from 
Hays — to  bring  our  Indian  auxiliaries  into  action.  The  rush 
which  instantly  followed  on  our  part,  and  the  scattering  of  the 
heads  which  had  been  linked  in  that  continuous  line  along  the  top 
of  the  picket,  caused  a  magical  change  in  the  aspect  of  affairs. 

This  new  attack — so  unexpected  and  from  the  opposite  quarter 
^— of  course  confounded  the  old  Sefiora,  and  obliged  her  to  separate 
her  defensive  force.  The  Bravo,  though  wounded  in  such 
a  manner  as  would  have  entirely  annihilated  the  combative 
propensity  in  any  other  man,  instantly  staggered  towards  the  pile 
at  the  gate.  He  had  only  sufficient  strength  to  reach  it,  and 
throwing  himself  upon  the  ground — or  falling  upon  it — he  leaned 
on  his  elbow,  and  in  a  few  moments  had  kindled  the  fire  anew 
with  the  help  of  his  flint  and  steel. 

Our  party  threw  in  a  close  volley  to  cover  this  cool  exhibition 
of  desperation,  and  though  now  reduced  to  five  or  six  guns,  it  had 
the  effect  of  clearing  the  wall  entirely.  It  was  evident  the 
Mexicans  were  panic-stricken  for  the  time — how  long  this  might 
last  we  did  not  lose  an  instant  in  philosophizing  about.  The 
others  of  those  who  had  been  hurt  seemed,  like  the  Bravo,  to  have 
forgotten  that  anything  had  happened  to  them,  and  were  quite  as 
alert  with  the  ramrod  and  trigger  as  the  most  active  of  us. 

I  have  quite  a  confused  recollection  of  the  occurrences  which 
followed  for  some  half-hour  after  this;  indeed,  they  were  too 
exciting,  too  hurried  in  my  confused  memory,  for  me  to  reproduce 
them  at  all  effectively.  I  can  only  recall  here  and  there  a  frag, 
mentary  incident,  which  may  assist  others  in  apprehending  what 
were  the  consequences-  of  the  darkened  and  frantic  action  of  the 
struggle  which  followed. 

I  find  myself  now — looking  back  from  the  condition  of  a  calmer 
existence — surprised,  beyond  expression,  that  my  individuality 


179 

and  consciousness  could  have  been  so  entirely  overwhelmed  in 
this  heady  tumult.  I  remember  the  vindictive,  exulting  expres 
sion  of  the  raging  Colonel's  voice,  when  he  said,  with  a  strange 
laugh,  "  Ha,  ha !  we've  got  'em  at  last,  boys ! — come  on." 

Before  he  said  this,  he  had  been  silently  tugging  at  one  of  the 
heaviest  picket-posts  of  the  sheep-pen,  and,  having  loosened  it,  and 
swung  it  upon  his  broad  shoulders,  he  then  led  the  way  towards 
the  now  undefended  gate.  Though  the  fire  the  Bravo  had 
kindled  was  beginning  to  burn  vigorously,  I  recollect  that,  in 
entire  disregard  of  its  heat,  he  projected  himself  through  the  mids* 
of  it  and  threw  the  whole  weight  of  his  own  immense  strength 
along  with  the  battering-ram  he  had  thus  extemporized,  against 
the  gate. 

The  man's  strength  was  so  preternaturalized  by  the  concentra 
tion  of  his  fury,  that  though  the  gate  was  massive  and  strong,  we 
heard  the  planks  crash,  as  it  burst  its  way  through,  while  he  fell 
from  the  rebound  upon  the  burning  pile,  utterly  helpless,  and  lay 
there  as  if  he  had  been  shot,  Several  of  us  sprang  forward,  and 
dragged  him  out  of  his  perilous  predicament  by  the  heels.  He  had 
nearly  made  a  Hindoo  sacrifice  of  himself,  upon  the  altar  of  his 
own  headlong  ferocity.  The  fire  rushed  through  the  fracture  he 
had  caused,  and  in  an  instant  the  timbers  of  the  gate  were 
blazing  with  a  fierceness  which  scattered  the  crowd  that  had 
rallied  above  in  the  effort  to  extinguish  it. 

Now  the  scene  was  demoniac :  the  frantic  wail  of  the  despair 
ing  Mexicans  who  saw  that  all  was  lost,  and  feared  they  were  to 
be  burned  up  alive  ;  their  ill-directed  defence  and  grotesque 
gestures,  as  they  hurled  into  the  air  leaden  and  every  other  kind 
of  projectiles  ;  the  lurid  illumination  of  the  two  fires ;  the  rapid 
movements  and  fierce  exulting  cries  of  our  men,  constituted  <in 
expressive  epitome  of  the  fiery  tumult  of  a  siege.  I  remember  that 
the  gate  burnt  out  with  such  singular  rapidity,  that  it  almost 
seemed  to  have  been  made  of  paper,  and  through  the  red  opening 
we  could  see  the  square  of  the  open  court,  filled  with  the  confused 
and  swaying  tumult  of  the  population,  maddened  with  panic,  and 
jtterly  incapable  of  self-defence. 

There  was  a  momentary  glimpse  of  the  presiding  genius  of  this 
infernal  saturnalia,  in  the  form  of  the  old  Senora,  which  presented 


180 

itself  for  an  instant  in  the  intense  light  of  the  opening,  fip 
squatty  figure  was  quickened  with  the  action  of  a  hateful  life 
which  the  years  seemed  only  to  have  intensified  ;  she  was  bu 
half-clothed,  and  was  tossing  her  skinny  arms  into  the  air ;  hei 
coarse,  stiff,  greyish  hair,  wild  about  her  shoulders,  while  her 
coppery  face  looked  like  a  seamy  blotch  of  crumpled  parchment, 
out  of  which  two  round  coals  were  burning,  white  with  fierceness. 
1  shall  never  forget  the  wizard  and  supernatural  aspect  her 
momentary  appearance  gave  to  the  whole  scene.  The  hate  and 
defiance  of  that  look  seemed  to  have  a  galvanic  effect  upon  the 
Colonel,  who  instantly  rushed  over  the  burning  heaps  and  through 
the  opening  around  whic.1  ths  flames  were  licking,  calling  upon 
us  to  follow.  This,  of  course,  we  did. 

The  Mexicans  made  a  feeble  attempt  to  drive  us  back,  but  the 
raging  aspect  cf  the  Colonel,  and  the  terror  his  name  carried  with 
it,  filled  them  with  such  a  hopeless  panic,  that  before  we  had  time 
to  strike  two  blows,  men,  women,  and  children,  with  yells  of 
mortal  fright,'  were  rushing  pell-mell  on  every  side — some 
towards  the  burning  gate  through  which  we  came — others  into 
the  doors  of  the  low  huts  ranged  around  the  four  sides  of  the 
court. 

All  but  the  Colonel  and  one  or  two  of  the  scalded  men,  ceased  to 
strike  after  the  resistance  had  ceased.  Hays  and  myself  induced 
the  two  men  to  hold  their  hands,  but  could  do  nothing  with  the 
Colonel,  who  was  perfectly  mad  and  blind  to  everything  but"  the 
one  purpose  of  finding  Agatone  and  the  old  Senora,  and  hewed 
away  at  all,  of  whatever  sex  and  age,  who  chanced  to  impede  his 
search.  The  men  went  down  on  their  knees  before  him,  clamor 
ing  for  mercy,  and  without  pausing  to  regard  them  an  instant,  he 
would  strike  them  to  the  ground  with  his  foot,  the  handle  of  hi« 
knife,  or  the  blade  of  it,  just  as  it  happened.  He  would  rush 
into  one  of  the  low  huts,  where  men,  women,  and  children  were 
piled  upon  each  other  in  a  corner,  each  trying  to  get  to  the 
bottom,  and  hauling  them  out  by  the  hair  or  the  heels,  he  would 
scatter  them,  like  so  many  billets  of  ,wood,  to  and  fro,  over  the 
room,  until  he  had  examined  every  face,  to  see  if  those  he  hated 
were  among  them. 

Tn  this  search,  he  was  actively  assisted  by  the  other  members  ol 


181 

the  party,  and  I  cannot  say  with  any  particular  regard  to  a 
gentle  etiquette  on  the  part  of  any  one  cf  us.  The  Mexicans 
ivere  perfectly  passive,  and  abjectly  submitted  to  being  tumbled 
about  at  our  pleasure.  But  Agatone  and  the  old  Senora  were 
nowhere  to  be  found,  and  fears  that  they  had  escaped  were  begin- 
ning  to  be  spoken.  The  very  idea  of  such  a  thing  seemed  h. 
inspire  the  Colonel  with  a  sort  of  ubiquity  of  energy ;  every 
corner,  hole,  and  cranny  of  the  Rancho  was  dived  into  by  him, 
in  an  astonishingly  short  time ;  everything  that  a  good-sized 
mouse,  even,  could  have  hid  beneath,  was  turned  over,  yet 
neither  of  the  objects  of  his  affectionate  interest  was  *o  he 
found. 

The  fires,  in  the  meantime,  were  rapidly  subsiding  of  them 
selves,  for  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  burn  down  one  of  these 
Ranchos.  The  picket  is  of  heavy  mesquit  timber,  the  most 
difficult  wood  to  burn  in  the  world ;  the  huts  inside  are  built  of 
"  dobies"  (clumsy  bricks  dried  in  the  sun),  and  are  thatched  with 
the  bulrushes  of  the  salt-swamps  of  the  country ;  and  they 
are  nearly  as  difficult  to  set  on  fire  as  the  "  dobies ;"  so  that  when 
the  more  inflammable  timbers  of  the  gate  had  burned  out,  the 
flames  and  light  went  gradually  down,  leaving  us  in  comparative 
darkness.  The  fire,  Bill  and  the  Lipans  had  kindled,  was  still 
throwing  up  a  fitful  light,  though,  for  the  reasons  given,  it  spread 
but  little.  We  had  all,  but  the  Colonel,  given  up  the  search  in 
despair,  and  were  standing  in  a  group  around  a  small  fire,  which 
is  Kept  burning,  night  and  day,  beneath  a  huge  kettle  of  tallow  or 
lard,  which  is  always  boiling  over  it,  and  from  the  capacious 
depths  of  which  the  singular  shower  we  had  been  first  saluted 
with,  had  come.  The  men,  in  spite  of  the  excitement,  fatigues, 
and  injuries  contingent  upon  the  late  scenes,  were  joking  each 
other  upon  what  had  occurred,  and  passing  around  certain  bottles 
which  their  investigations  had  brought  to  light. 

The  disappointment  of  Bill  and  the  Colonel — since  all  the  toil 
and  loss  we  had  endured  seemed  to  have  amounted  to  nothing, 
after  the  escape  of  their  two  enemies — was  just  being  laughed  at 
by  Fitz,  when  the  Colonel  thrust  his  head  from  the  door  of  one 
of  the  huts  on  the  side  next  the  river,  and  shouting  eagerly—- 
"  Here,  boy»— I've  found  their  hole— we'll  catch  Jem  yet" — dis. 

16 


182 

appealed  within  it  quickly.  We  all  rushed  into  the  hut.  We 
found  him,  with  a  lamp  in  his  hand,  stooping  at  a  square  hole  in 
the  back  part  of  the  room,  which  seemed  as  if  it  had  been  cut 
through  the  picketing,  near  the  bottom.  It  had  been  concealed 
by  a  bed  and  some  skins,  which  he  had  dragged  away. 

"  Ha,  ha!"  he  chuckled,  in  an  under  tone  of  ecstasy,  "  we've 
got  'em — here's  the  burrow,  boys  !"  and  holding  the  lamp  before 
him,  entered  the  dark  passage  without  hesitation.  It  admitted 
him,  stooping  slightly.  We  crowded  after  him  with  a  reckless 
curiosity,  to  see  what  this  might  lead  to.  No  obstruction  pre- 
sentad  itself,  and  we  soon  found  ourselves  standing  in  one  of  those 
Dutch  oven-like  huts  we  have  mentioned,  as  dug  into  the  bank  of 
the  river,  on  the  outside  of  the  picket.  The  wounded  Mexican 
was  starting  up,  with  terror  in  his  face,  from  the  bed  I  had  res 
cued  for  him.  Frightened  as  he  was,  he  was  too  weak  to  rise,  and 
fell  back.  The  Colonel  sprang  at  him,  and  shaking  him  furiously 
by  the  arm,  demanded,  in  the  Mexican  language,  whether  the 
Senora  and  Agatone  had  passed  out  through  this  way. 

The  man  muttered  some  confused  answer,  while  we  rushed 
forward',  and  lifting  the  beef's  hide  which  served  for  a  door, 
passed  out  into  the  open  air,  and  stood  upon  the  brink  of  the  steep 
bank  of  the  river.  The  moon  was  quite  bright,  and  the  fires  still 
gave  some  illumination.  We  have  observed  that  the  river  was 
narrow.  The  first  objects  which  met  our  eyes  were  two  human 
figures,  just  in  the  act  of  shaking  the  water  from  their  garments 
as  they  stepped  rapidly  across  the  narrow  interval  where  the 
light  fell,  between  the  edge  of  the  water  and  the  deep  gloom  of 
the  forest.  "  There  they  are !"  said  some  one,  quickly.  This 
was  followed  by  the  discharge  of  several  pieces  from  our  party, 
but  too  late.  The  figures  were  lost  beneath  the  shadows  of  the 
forest.  That  shrill  taunting  laugh  was  the  reply,  and  at  the  same 
moment  the  Colonel,  brushing  past  us,  threw  himself  with  a  hor 
rid  blasphemy  upon  his  lips,  headlong  down  the  steep  bank  into 
the  water.  A  deep  mouthed-whoop  from  Bill,  higher  up  the 
river,  told  that  his  sharp  vision  had  made  the  same  discovery ; 
and  in  a  little  while  we  could  see  the  river  dark  with  black  ob 
jects,  which  proved  to  be  the  heads  of  the  Lipans,  who  were 
swimming  across  in  the  pursuit. 


183 

The  sounds  of  pursuit  soon  died  away,  and  as  none  of  us  ieit 
like  taking  quite  so  steep  a  plunge-bath  as  the  Colonel's  gratui 
tously,  and  as  it  appeared  to  us  there  were  more  than  enough 
already  in  the  chase  to  accomplish  its  objects,  we  turned  quietly 
back  and  passed  into  the  Rancho  again.  We  very  unhesitatingly 
laid  it  under  contribution  for  what  amount  of  edibles  and  drink- 
ables  were  found  necessary,  or  rather,  what  we  could  get  our 
hands  upon.  It  was  now  nearly  day.  We  were  all  greatly  ex 
hausted  ;  the  wounded  men  dreadfully  so.  No  news  was  likely 
to  come  from  the  chase  very  soon,  and  repose  was  to  be  had  at 
any  risk.  We  accordingly  took  possession  of  the  largest  room 
we  could  find,  and  barricading  the  entrances  theretj,  placed  a 
sentinel  on  duty,  and  threw  our  weary  bones  upon  skin  pallets. 

We  slept,  sentinel  and  all,  until  late  in  the  morning,  when  we 
were  suddenly  roused  by  a  tremendous  thumping  and  clatter  from 
without.  Springing  to  my  feet,  I  saw  that  our  sentinel,  half 
asleep,  had  undone  the  fastenings,  and  the  Colonel,  haggard  with 
exhaustion,  and  begrimed  with  dirt  and  wet,  staggered  into  the 
room,  and  threw  himself  upon  the  floor.  The  huge  form  of  Bill 
Johnson  stalked  in  after  him,  dripping  with  water  indeed,  but 
with  his  iron-face  looking  as  fresh  and  kindly  as  if  he  had  just 
waked  up,  on  some  calm  May-morning,  from  a  pleasant  sleep. 

"  Well,  old  boy,  what's  what  ?"  drawled  out  Fitz,  who  had 
half  risen,  and  now  sank  down  lazily  upon  his  elbow.  "  You  did 
it -up  clean  there  in  the  bush,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  Clean  !"  said  Bill,  as  he  set  old  Sue  down  in  a  corner  with 
careful  tenderness.  "  I  aint  mighty  clean,  outen  the  mud  and 
stink  er  that  river.  But  the  way  that  wrinkly-faced  hell-cat 
done  us  out  clean  's  nothing  to  nobody !  Them  two  '11  do  for 
screamers,  any  dark  night !  We  never  seen  a  glimpse  uv  'em 
after  they  got  under,  them  black  woods,  till  we  seed  'em  safe 
enough  in  Navarro's  Rancho,  six  miles  over  yonder,  you  know  !" 

"  How  could  you  have  let  'em  get  away  this  time,  Bill  ?" 

"  I  don't  mind  er  horse  runnin,  when  I  knows  a  horse  is  in  the 
case,  and  can  see  which  way  he'll  take.  How  could  anybody 
whar  want  too  thick  with  Old  Scratch,  like  she,  have  know'd  they 
had  a  horse  waitin'  in  the  bush  ?  I  thunk  she'd  tuck  to  her  broom- 
itick  till  the  crack  o'  day.  Then  I  seed  ther  horse-trail,  and 


184 

followed  it  till  we  all  corned  to  the  Rancho,  and  thar  she  war,  on 
top  er  the  picket,  shakin*  her  scraggy  claws  at  us  and  screechin 
Kern  let  drive  at  her,  but  he  war  too  mad,  it  didn't  do  !  She's 
some,  boys  !  Bill  Johnson  says  it !  Whar's  sumphen  to  drink, 
boys  ?" 

Seizing  a  bottle,  he  half  emptied  its  contents  at  a  single 
draught,  and  passed  it  to  the  Colonel,  who  silently  held  up  his 
hand  for  it. 

The  strange  old  witch  and  her  worthy  and  worshipful  nephew 
had  thoroughly  outdone  and  baffled  us  after  all !  Texans,  the 
cream  of  frontier  trailers,  warriors,  and  desperadoes,  outwitted 
—defeated  by  an  old  woman  ! ! 

We  left  the  Rancho — without  doing  it  or  its  people  any  further 
injury — that  evening,  and  returned  to  the  Colonel's.  Before  sun. 
down  an  express  came  from  Bexar,  recalling  Hays  and  his  Ran- 
gers  to  their  post  immediately.  The  news  of  a  large  body  of 
Mexican  troops  from  the  Rio  Grande  actually  on  their  way  to 
destroy  the  place,  was  sufficient  to  rouse  these  dauntless  and  ad 
venturous  men.  They  shook  off  their  fatigue,  and  we  were  soon 
in  the  saddle.  No  remonstrance  could  induce  the  Colonel  to  ac 
company  us.  He  had  scarcely  spoken  since  the  scene  we  have 
last  described — sullen  and  bowed,  all  his  ferocious  animality 
seemed  to  have  deserted  him.  We  endeavored  to  make  him  see 
that  his  resolve  to  remain  in  such  a  neighborhood  alone,  and  sur 
rounded  by  an  infuriated  swarm  of  enemies,  would  be  to  insure 
his  own  murder.  He  went  moping  about  like  one  who  felt  the 
heavy  shadows  of  his  doom  closing  and  weighing  upon  him.  1 
looKed  back  within  a  short  distance.  He  was  sitting  on  the  stile- 
blocks  of  his  Rancho — his  head  leaning  on  his  arm,  and  his  fin 
gers  mechanically  playing  with  the  lock  of  his  favorite  six- shoot 
er.  This  was  the  last  I  ever  saw  of  this  violent  man. 

Having  now  brought  my  Mexican  adventures  to  a  close,  and  I 
hope  gained  the  sympathy  of  my  readers  for  my  toils,  and  suffer 
ings,  and  "  moving  incidents  by  flood  and  field,"  I  hope  still  to 
win  their  kind  attention  to  some  adventures  which  occurred  in  a 
new  fiV.d,  fertile  in  all  sorts  of  perils  from  all .  sorts  of  causes. 
With  «he  present  characters  we  shall  have  little  more  to  do 
than  to  ti&je  the  end  of  their  respective  careers,  which  we  will 


19 

do  on  a  future  occasion,  merely  remarking  here,  that  should  any 
of  my  readers  visit  the  scenes  of  which  I  have  spoken,  they  must 
not  imagine  that  I  have  overwrought  or  too  highly  colored  my 
descriptions,  either  of  the  country  or  inhabitants.  The  great 
influx  of  new  settlers,  bringing  with  them  all  their  notions  and 
some  of  the  appliances  of  more  refined  life,  have  so  changed  both 
the  character  of  the  country  and  its  localities,  that,  should  I 
now  go  over  the  same  ground,  even  I  might  be  tempted  to  dis 
pute  its  identity. 


186 


CHAPTER    XV11T. 


M  UST  ANGS. 

READER  !  Were  you  ever  in  a  Texian  prairie  ?  Probably  not. 
I  have  been ;  and  this  was  how  it  happened.  I  found  myself  one 
fine  morning  possessor  of  a  Tezas  land-scrip — that  is  to  say,  a 
sertificate  of  the  Galveston  Bay  and  Texas  Land  Company,  in 
which  it  was  stated  that  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  one  thou 
sand  dollars,  duly  paid  and  delivered  by  Mr. into 

the  hands  of  the  cashier  of  the  aforesaid  company,  he,  the  said 

was  become  entitled  to  ten  thousand  acres  of  Texian 

land,  to  be  selected  by  himself,  or  those  he  should  appoint,  under 
the  sole  condition  of  not  infringing  on  the  property  or  rights  of 
the  holders  of  previously  given  certificates. 

Ten  thousand  acres  of  the  finest  land  in  the  world,  and  under 
a  heaven  compared  to  which  our  southern  sky,  bright  as  it  is,  ap- 
peavs  dull  and  foggy  !  It  was  a  tempting  bait ;  too  good  a  one 
not  to  be  caught  at  by  many  in  those  times  of  speculation ;  and 
accordingly,  our  free  and  enlightened  citizens  bought  and  sold 
tlieir  millions  of  Texian  acres  just  as  readily  as  they  did  their 
thousands  of  towns  and  villages  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 
Michigan,  and  their  tens  of  thousands  of  shares  in  banks  and  rail 
ways.  It  was  a  speculative  fever,  which  has  since,  we  may  hope, 
been  in  some  degree  cured.  At  any  rate,  the  remedies  applied 
have  been  tolerably  severe. 

I  had  not  escaped  the  contagion,  and,  having  got  the  land 
on  paper,  I  thought  I  should  like  to  see  it  in  dirty  acres  ;  so,  in 
company  with  a  friend  who  had  a  similar  venture,  I  embarked  at 


187 

Baltimore  on  board  the  Catcher  schooner,  and5  after  a  three  weeks1 
voyage,  arrived  at  Galveston  Bay. 

Tli2  grassy  shores  of  this  Bay,  into  which  the  river  Brazos 
empties  itself,  rise  so  little  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  to  which 
they  bear  a  strong  resemblance  in  color,  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  discover  them,  were  it  not  for  three  stunted  trees  growing  on 
the  western  extremity  of  a  long  lizard-shaped  island  that  stretches 
nearly  sixty  miles  across  the  bay,  and  conceals  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  These  trees  are  the  only  landmark  for  the  mariner ;  and 
with  their  exception,  not  a  single  object — not  a  hill,  a  house,  nor 
so  much  as  a  bush,  relieves  the  level  sameness  of  the  island  and 
adjacent  continent. 

After  we  had,  with  some  difficulty,  got  on  the  inner  side  of  the 
island,  a  pilot  came  on  board  and  took  charge  of  the  vessel.  Tho 
ir^t  *.'  ing  he  did  was  to  run  us  on  a  sandbank,  off  which  we  got 
"tfith  .u  small  labor,  and  by  the  united  exertions  of  sailors  and 
passengers,  and  at  length  entered  the  river.  In  our  impatience  to 
land,  I  and  my  friend  left  the  schooner  in  a  cockshell  of  a  boat, 
which  upset  in  the  surge,  and  we  found  ourselves  floundering  in 
the  water.  Luckily  it  was  not  very  deep,  and  we  escaped  with  a 
thorough  drenching. 

When  we  had  scrambled  on  shore,  we  gazed  about  us  for  some 
time  before  we  could  persuade  ourselves  that  we  were  actually 
upon  land.  It  was,  without  exception,  the  strangest  coast  we  had 
ever  seen,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  possibility  of  distinguishing 
the  boundary  between  earth  and  water.  The  green  grass  grew 
down  to  the  edge  of  the  green  sea,  and  there  was  only  the  streak 
of  white  foam  left  by  the  latter  upon  the  former  to  serve  a«  a  line 
of  demarcation.  Before  us  was  a  plain,  a  hundred  or  more  miles 
in  extent,  covered  with  long,  fine  grass,  rolling  in  waves  before 
each  puff  of  the  sea-breeze,  with  neither  tree,  nor  house,  nor  hill, 
to  vary  the  monotony  of  the  surface.  Ten  or  twelve  miles  towards 
the  north  and  north-west,  we  distinguished  some  dark  masses, 
whicn  we  afterwards  discovered  to  be  groups  of  trees ;  but  to  our 
eyes  they  looked  exactly  like  islands  in  a  green  sea,  and  we  sub 
gequently  learned  that  they  were  called  islands  by  the  people  of 
the  country.  It  would  have  been  difficult  to  have  given  thej'i  a 


188 

more  appropriate  name,  or  one  better  descrfuing  fcLerp  appear 
ance. 

Proceeding  along  the  shore,  we  came  to  a  blockhouse  situated 
behind  a  small  tongue  of  land  projecting  into  the  river,  and 
decorated  with  the  flag  of  the  Mexican  republic,  waving  in  all  ito 
glory  from  the  roof.  At  that  period,  this  was  the  only  building 
of  which  Galveston  harbor  could  boast.  It  served  as  custom-house 
and  as  barracks  for  the  garrison,  also  as  the  residence  of  the 
director  of  customs,  and  the  civil  and  military  intendant,  as  head 
quarters  of  the  officer  commanding,  and.  moreover,  as  hotel  and 
wine  and  spirit  store.  Alongside  the  board,  on  which  was  de 
picted  a  sort  of  hieroglyphic,  intended  for  the  Mexican  eagle,  hung 
a  bottle  doing  duty  as  a  sign,  and  the  republican  banner  tj.rew  it£ 
protecting  shadow  over  the  announcement  of — "  Brandy,  "W  hiskey, 
and  accommodation  for  Man  and  Beast." 

As  we  approached  the  house,  we  saw  the  whole  garrison  assem 
bled  before  the  door.  It  consisted  of  a  dozen  dwarfish,  spindle- 
shanked  Mexican  soldiers,  none  of  them  so  big  or  half  so  strong 
as  American  boys  of  fifteen,  and  whom  I  would  have  backed  a 
single  Kentucky  woodsman,  armed  with  a  riding-whip,  to  have 
driven  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven.  These  heroes  all  sported  tre 
mendous  beards,  whiskers  and  mustaches,  and  had  a  habit  of  knit 
ting  their  brows,  in  the  endeavor,  as  we  supposed,  to  look  fierce 
and  formidable.  They  were  crowding  round  a  table  of  rough 
planks,  and  playing  a  game  of  cards,  in  which  they  were  so  deeply 
engrossed  that  they  took  no  notice  of  our  approach.  Their  officer 
however,  came  out  of  the  house  to  meet  us. 

Captain  Cotton,  formerly  editor  of  the  Mexican  Gazette,  now 
civil  and  military  commandant  at  Galveston,  customs-director, 
harbor-master,  and  tavern-keeper,  and  a  Yankee  to  boot,  seemed 
to  trouble  himself  very  little  about  his  various  dignities  and  titles. 
He  produced  some  capital  French  and  Spanish  wine,  which,  it  is 
to  be  presumed,  he  got  duty  free,  and  welcomed  us  to  Texas.  We 
were  presently  joined  by  some  of  our  fellow-passengers,  who 
seemed  as  bewildered  as  we  had  been  at  the  billiard-table  appear 
ance  of  the  country.  Indeed  the  place  looked  so  desolate  and 
uninviting,  that  there  was  little  inducement  to  remain  on  terra 


189 

firma,  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that  we  once  more  found 
ourselves  on  board  the  schooner. 

We  took  three  days  to  sail  up  the  river  Brazos  to  the  town  of 
Brazoria,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles.  On  the  first  day  nothing  bu* 
meadow  land  was  visible  on  either  side  of  us ;  but,  on  the  second, 
the  monotonous  grass-covered  surface  was  varied  by  islands  of 
trees,  and,  about  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  we 
passed  through  a  forest  of  sycamores,  and  saw  several  herds  of 
deer  and  flocks  of  wild  turkeys.  At  length  we  reached  Brazoria 
which  at  the  time  I  speak  of,  namely,  in  the  year  1832,  was  an 
important  city — for  Texas,  that  is  to  say — consisting  of  upwards 
f'i  thirty  houses,  three  of  which  were  of  brick,  three  of  planks,  and 
Jbe  remainder  of  logs.  All  the  inhabitants  were  Americans,  and 
'.he  streets  arranged  in  American  fashion,  in  straight  lines  and  at 
right  angles.  The  only  objection  to  the  place  was,  that  in  the  wet 
£eason  it  was  all  under  water  ;  but  the  Brazorians  overlooked  this 
little  inconvenience,  in  consideration  of  the  inexhaustible  fruitful- 
ness  of  the  soil.  It  was  the  beginning  of  March  when  we  arrived, 
and  yet  there  was  already  an  abundance  of  new  potatoes,  beans, 
peas,  and  artichokes,  all  of  the  finest  sorts,  and  most  delicious 
zlavor. 

At  Brazoria,  my  friend  and  myself  had  the  satisfaction  of  learn 
ing  that  our  land-certificates,  for  which  we  had  each  paid  a  thou 
sand  dollars,  were  worth  exactly  nothing — just  so  much  waste 
paper,'  in  short — unless  we  chose  to  conform  to  a  condition  to 
which  our  worthy  friends,  the  G-alveston  Bay  and  Texas  Land 
Conroany,  had  never  made  the  smallest  allusion. 

It  appeared  that  in  the  year  1824,  the  Mexican  Congress  had 
passed  an  act  for  the  encouragement  of  emigration  from  the  United 
States  to  Texas.  In  consequence  of  this  act,  an  agreement  was 
entered  into  with  contractors,  or  empresarios,  as  they  call  them  in 
Mexico,  who  had  bound  themselves  to  bring  a  certain  number  of 
settlers  into  Texas  within  a  given  time,  and  without  any  expense 
to  the  Mexican  government.  On  the  other  hand  the  Mexican 
government  had  engaged  to  furnish  land  to  these  emigrants  at  the 
rate  of  five  square  leagues  to  every  hundred  families  ;  but  to  this 
agreement  one  condition  was  attached,  and  it  was  that  all  settlerj 


190 

should  become  Roman  Catholics.  Failing  this,  the  validity  of 
their  claims  to  the  land  wac  not  recognized,  and  they  were  liable 
to  be  turned  out  any  day  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

This  information  threw  us  into  no  small  perplexity.  It  was 
clear  that  we  had  been  duped,  completely  bubbled,  by  the  rascally 
Land  Company  ;  that,  as  heretics,  the  Mexican  government  would 
have  nothing  to  say  to  us  j  and  that,  unless  we  chose  to  become 
converts  to  the  Romish  Church,  we  might  whistle  for  our  acres, 
and  light  our  pipes  with  the  certificate.  Our  Yankee  friends  at 
Brazoria,  however,  laughed  at  our  dilemma,  and  told  us  that  we 
were  only  in  the  same  plight  as  hundreds  of  our  countrymen,  who 
had  come  to  Texas  in  total  ignorance  of  this  condition,  but  who 
had  not  the  less  taken  possession  of  their  land,  and  settled  there  , 
that  they  themselves  were  among  the  number,  and  that,  although 
it  was  just  as  likely  they  would  turn  negroes  as  Roman  Catholics, 
they  had  no  idea  of  being  turned  out  of  their  houses  and  planta 
tions  ;  that,  at  any  rate,  if  the  Mexicans  tried  it,  they  had  their 
rifles  with  them,  and  should  be  apt,  they  reckoned,  to  burn  pow 
der  before  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  kicked  off  such  an  al 
mighty  fine  piece  of  soil.  So,  after  awhile,  we  began  to  think, 
that  as  we  had  paid  our  money  and  come  so  far,  we  might  do  aa 
others  had  done  before  us — occupy  our  land,  and  wait  the  course 
of  events.  The  next  day  we  each  bought  a  horse  or  mustang,  as 
they  call  them  there,  which  animals  were  selling  at  Brazoria  for 
next  to  nothing,  and  rode  out  into  the  prairie  to  look  for  a  conve 
nient  spot  to  settle. 

These  mustangs  are  small  horses,  rarely  above  fourteen  hands 
high,  and  are  descended  from  the  Spanish  breed  introduced  by  the 
original  conquerors  of  the  country.  During  the  three  centuries 
that  have  elapsed  since  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  they  have  in 
creased  and  multiplied  to  an  extraordinary  extent,  and  are  to  be 
found  in  vast  droves  in  the  Texian  prairies,  although  they  are  now 
beginning  to  become  somewhat  scarcer.  They  are  taken  with 
the  lasso,  concerning  which  instrument  or  weapon  I  will  here 
say  a  word  or  two,  notwithstanding  that  it  has  been  often  de 
Bcribed. 

The  lasso  is  generally  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  long,  \ery 


191 

fc-zible,  and  coirposed  of  strips  of  tw;tfu>d  ox-hide.  One  end  u 
fastened  to  the  saddle,  and  the  other;  which  forms  a  running  noose, 
held  in  the  hand  of  the  hunter,  who,  thus  equipped  rides  out  into 
the  prairie.  When  he  discovers  a  troop  of  wild  horses,  he  man- 
ceuvres  to  get  to  windward  of  them,  and  then  to  approach  as 
near  as  possible.  If  he  is  an  experienced  hand,  the  horses  seldom 
or  never  escape  him,  and  as  s<>on  as  he  finds  himself  within  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  of  them,  he  throws  the  noose  with  unerring  aim  over 
the  neck  of  the  one  he  has  selected  for  his  prey.  This  done  he 
turns  his  own  horse  sharp  around,  gives  him  the  spur,  and  gallops 
away,  dragging  his  unfortunate  captive  after  him,  breathless,  and 
with  his  windpipe  so  compressed  by  the  noose,  that  he  is  unable 
to  make  the  smallest  resistance,  arid  after  a  few  yards,  falls  head 
long  to  the  ground,  and  lies  motionless  and  almost  lifeless,  some 
times  indeed  badly  hurt  and  disabled.  From  this  day  forward, 
the  horse  which  has  been  thus  caught  never  forgets  the  lasso ;  the 
mere  sight  of  it  makes  him  tremble  in  every  limb ;  and,  however 
wild  he  may  be,  it  is  sufficient  to  show  it  to  him,  or  lay  it  on  his 
neck,  to  render  him  as  tame  and  docile  as  a  lamb. 

The  horse  taken,  next  comes  the  breaking  in,  which  is  effected 
in  a  no  less  brutal  manner  than  his  capture.  The  eyes  of  the 
unfortunate  animal  are  covered  with  a  bandage,  and  a  tremendous 
bit,  a  pound  weight  or  more,  clapped  into  his  mouth ;  the  horse- 
breaker  puts  on  a  pair  of  spurs  six  inches  long,  and  with  rowels 
like  penknives,  and  jumping  on  his  back,  urges  him  to  his  very 
utmost  speed.  If  the  horse  tries  to  rear  or  turns  restive,  one 
pull,  and  not  a  very  hard  one  either,  at  the  instrument  of  torture 
they  call  a  bit,  is  sufficient  to  tear  his  mouth  to  shreds,  and  cause 
the  blood  to  flow  in  streams.  I  have  myself  seen  horses'  teeth 
broken  with  these  barbarous  bits.  The  poor  beast  whinnies  and 
groans  with  pain  and  terror ;  bu*b  there  is  no  help  for  him ;  the 
spurs  are  at  his  flanks,  and  on  he  goes  full  gallop,  till  he  is  ready 
to  sink  with  fatigue  and  exhaustion.  He  then  has  a  quarter  of 
an  hour's  rest  allowed  him ;  but  scarcely  does  he  begin  to  recover 
breath,  which  has  been  ridden  and  spurred  out  of  his  body,  when 
he  is  again  mounted,  and  has  to  go  through  the  same  violent  pro 
cess  as  before.  If  he  breaks  down  during  this  rude  trial,  ho  it 


either  knocked  on  the  head  or  driven  away  as  useless;  but  if  .*:e 
holds  out,  he  is  marked  with  a  hot  iron,  and  left  to  graze  on  the 
prairie.  Henceforward,  there  is  no  particular  difficulty  in  catcL- 
ing  him  when  wanted  ;  the  wildness  of  the  horse  is  completely 
punished  out  of  him,  but  fior  it  is  substituted  the  most  confirmed 
vice  and  malice  that  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  These  mustangs 
are  unquestionably  the  most  deceitful  and  spiteful  of  all  the 
equine  race.  They  seem  to  be  perpetually  looking  out  for  an  op 
portunity  of  playing  their  master  a  trick  ;  and  very  soon  after  I 
got  possession  of  mine,  I  was  nearly  paying  for  him  in  a  way  that 
I  had  certainly  not  calculated  upon. 

"We  were  going  to  Bolivar,  and  had  to  cross  the  river  Brazos.  1 
was  the  last  but  one  to  get  into  the  boat,  and  was  leading  my  horse 
carelessly  by  the  bridle.  Just  as  I  was  about  to  step  in,  a  sudden 
jert,  and  a  cry  of  "mind  your  beast !"  made  me  jump  on  one  side, 
and  luckily  was  it  that  I  did  so.  My  mustang  had  suddenly 
sprung  back,  reared  up,  and  then  thrown  himself  forward  upon 
me  with  such  force  and  fury,  that,  as  I  got  out  of  his  way,  his  fore 
feet  went  completely  through  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  I  never  in 
my  life  saw  an  animal  in  such  a  paroxysm  of  rage.  He  curled  up 
his  lips  till  his  whole  range  of  teeth  was  visible,  his  eyes  literally 
shot  fire,  while  the  foam  flew  from  his  mouth,  and  he  gave  a  wild, 
screaming  neigh  that  had  something  quite  diabolical  in  its  sound. 
I  was  standing  perfectly  thunderstruck  at  this  scene,  when  one  of 
the  party  took  a  lasso  and  very  quietly  laid  it  over  the  animal's 
neck.  The  effect  was  really  magical.  With  closed  mouth,  droop 
ing  ears,  and  head  low,  there  stood  the  mustang,  as  meek  and 
docile  as  any  old  jackass.  The  change  was  so  sudden  and  comical, 
that  we  all  burst  out  laughing ;  although,  when  I  came  to  reflect 
on  the  danger  I  had  run,  it  required  all  my  love  of  horses  to  pre 
vent  me  from  shooting  the  brute  upon  the  spot. 

Mounted  upon  this  ticklish  steed,  and  in  company  with  my 
friend,  I  made  various  excursions  to  Bolivar.  Marion,  Columbia, 
Anahuac,  incipient  cities  consisting  of  from  five  to  twenty  houses. 
We  also  visited  numerous  plantations  and  clearings,  to  the  owners 
of  some  of  which  we  were  known,  or  had  messages  of  introduction; 
but  either  with  or  without  such  recommendations,  we  always  found 


198 

a  hearty  welcome  and  hospitable  reception,  and  it  was  rare  that 
we  were  allowed  to  pay  for  our  entertainment. 

We  arrived  one  day  at  a  clearing,  which  lay  a  few  miles  off  the 
way  from  Harrisburg  to  San  Felipe  de  Austin,  and  belonged  to  a 
Mr.  Neal.  He  had  been  three  years  in  the  country,  occupying 
himself  with  the  breeding  of  cattle,  which  is  unquestionably  the 
most  agreeable,  as  well  as  profitable,  occupation  that  can  be  fol 
lowed  in  Texas.  He  had  between  seven  and  eight  hundred  head 
of  cattle,  and  from  fifty  to  sixty  horses,  all  mustangs.  His  plan 
tation,  like  nearly  all  the  plantations  in  Texas  at  that  time,  was 
as  yet  in  a  very  rough  state  ;  and  his  house,  although  roomy  and 
comfortable  en'Ough  inside,  was  built  of  unhewn  tree-trunks,  in 
true  backwoodsman  style.  It  was  situated  on  the  border  of  one 
of  the  islands,  or  groups  of  trees,  and  stood  between  two  gigantic 
sycamores,  which  sheltered  it  from  the  sun  and  wind.  In  front, 
and  as  far  as  could  be  seen,  lay  the  prairie,  covered  with  its  wav 
ing  grass  and  many-colored  flowers  ;  behind  the  dwelling  arose  a 
cluster  of  forest  trees  in  all  their  primeval  majesty,  laced,  and 
bound  together  by  an  infinity  of  wild  vines,  which  shot  their  ten 
drils  and  clinging  branches  hundreds  of  feet  upwards  to  the  very 
top  of  the  trees,  embracing  and  covering  the  whole  island  with  a 
green  network,  and  converting  it  into  an  immense  bower  of  vine 
leaves,  which  would  have  been  no  unsuitable  abode  for  Bacchus 
and  his  train.  * 

These  islands  are  one  of  the  most  enchanting  features  of  Tex- 
ian  scenery.  Of  infinite  variety  and  beauty  of  form,  and  unri 
valled  in  the  growth  and  magnitude  of  the  trees  that  compose 
them,  they  are  to  be  found  of  all  shapes — circular,  parallelograms, 
hexagons,  octagons — some  again  twisting  and  winding  like  dark- 
green  snakes  over  the  brighter  surface  of  the  prairie.  In  no  park 
or  artificially  laid  out  grounds,  would  it  be  possible  to  find  any 
thing  equalling  these  natural  shrubberies  in  beauty  and  symme 
try.  In  the  morning  and  evening  especially,  when  surrounded 
by  a  sort  of  veil  of  light-greyish  mist,  and  with  the  horizontal 
beams  of  the  rising  or  setting  sun  gleaming  through  them,  they 
offer  pictures  which  it  is  impossible  to  get  weary  of  admiring. 

Mr.  Neal  was  a  jovial  Kentuckian,  and  he  received  us  with 

17 


194 

the  greatest  hospitality,  only  asking  in  return  all  the  news  we 
could  give  him  from  the  States.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine,  with 
out  having  witnessed  it,  the  feverish  eagerness  and  curiosity  with 
which  all  intelligence  from  their  native  country  is  sought  after 
and  listened  to  by  these  dwellers  in  the  desert.  Men,  women, 
and  children,  crowded  round  us ;  and  though  we  had  arrived  in 
the  afternoon,  it  was  near  sunrise  before  we  could  escape  from 
the  inquiries  by  which  we  were  overwhelmed,  and  retire  to  the 
beds  that  had  been  prepared  for  us. 

I  had  not  slept  very  long,  when  I  was  roused  by  our  worthy 
host.  He  was  going  out  to  catch  twenty  or  thirty  oxen,  which 
were  wanted  for  the  market  at  New  Orleans.  As  the  kind  of 
chase  which  takes  place  after  these  animals  is  very  interesting, 
and  rarely  dangerous,  we  willingly  accepted  the  invitation  to  ac 
company  him,  and  having  dressed  and  breakfasted  in  all  haste, 
got  upon  our  mustangs  and  rode  off  into  the  prairie. 

The  party  was  half  a  dozen  strong,  consisting  of  Mr.  Neal, 
my  friend  and  myself,  and  three  negroes.  What  we  had  to  do, 
was  to  drive  the  cattle,  which  were  grazing  on  the  prairie  in 
herds  of  from  thirty  to  fifty  head,  to  the  house,  and  then  those 
which  were  selected  for  the  market  were  to  be  taken  with  the 
lasso  and  sent  off  to  Brazoria. 

After  riding  four  or  five  miles,  we  came  in  sight  of  a  drove  of 
splendid  animals,  standing  very  high,  and  of  most  symmetrical 
form.  The  horns  of  these  cattle  are  of  unusual  length,  and,  in 
the  distance,  have  more  the  appearance  of  stags'  antlers  than 
bulls'  horns.  We  approached  the  herd  first  to  within  a  quarter 
of  a  mile.  They  remained  very  quiet.  We  rode  round  them, 
and  in  like  manner  got  in  rear  of  a  second  and  third  drove,  and 
then  began  to  spread  out,  so  as  to  form  a  half  circle,  and  drive 
the  cattle  towards  the  house. 

Hitherto  my  mustang  had  behaved  exceedingly  well,  cantering 
freely  along,  and  not  attempting  to  play  any  tricks.  I  had 
scarcely,  however,  left  the  remainder  of  the  party  a  couple  of 
hundred  yards,  when  the  devil  by  which  he  was  possessed  began 
to  wake  up.  The  mustangs  belonging  to  the  plantation  were 
grazing  some  three  quarters  of  a  mile  off;  and  no  sooner  did  my 


beast  catch  sight  of  them,  than  he  commenced  practising  every 
species  of  jump  and  leap  that  it  is  possible  for  a  horse  to  exe 
cute,  and  many  of  a  nature  so  extraordinary,  that  I  should  have 
thought  no  brute  that  ever  went  on  four  legs  would  have  been 
able  to  accomplish  them.  He  shied,  reared,  pranced,  leaped  for 
wards,  backwards,  and  sideways  ;  in  short,  played  such  infernal 
pranks,  that,  although  a  practised  rider,  I  found  it  no  easy  mat 
ter  to  keep  my  seat.  I  began  heartily  to  regret  that  I  had 
Drought  no  lasso  with  me,  (which  would  have  tamed  him  at  once.) 
and  that,  contrary  to  Mr.  Neal's  advice,  I  had  put  on  my  Ameri 
can  bit  instead  of  a  Mexican  one.  Without  these  auxiliaries,  all 
my  horsemanship  was  useless.  The  brute  galloped  like  a  mad 
creature  some  five  hundred  yards,  caring  nothing  for  my  efforts 
to  stop  him  ;  and  then,  finding  himself  close  to  the  troop  of  mus 
tangs,  he  stopped  suddenly  short,  threw  his  head  between  his 
fore-legs,  and  his  hind  feet  into  the  air,  with  such  vicious  vio 
lence,  that  I  was  pitched  clean  out  of  the  saddle.  Before  I  well 
knew  where  I  was,  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  put  his 
fore-feet  on  -the  bridle,  pull  bit  and  bridoon  out  of  his'mouth, 
and  then,  with  a  neigh  of  exultation,  spring  into  the  midst  of  the 
herd  of  mustangs. 

I  got  up  out  of  the  long  grass  in  a  towering  passion.  One 
of  the  negroes  who  was  nearest  to  me  came  galloping  to  my  as 
sistance,  and  begged  me  to  let  the  beast  ran  for  awhile,  and  that 
when  Anthony,  the, huntsman,  came,  he  would  soon  catch  him. 
I  was  too  angry  to  listen  to  reason,  and  I  ordered  him  to  get  off 
his  horse,  and  let  me  mount.  The  black  begged  and  prayed  of 
me  not  to  ride  after  the  brute  ;  and  Mr.  Neal,  who  was  some  dis 
tance  off,  shouted  to  me,  as  loud  as  he  could,  for  Heaven's  sake 
to  stop — that  I  did  not  know  what  it  was  to  chase  a  wild  horse 
in  a  Texian  Prairie,  and  that  I  must  not  fancy  myself  in  the 
meadows  of  Louisiana  or  Florida.  I  paid  no  attention  to  all 
this — I  was  in  too  great  a  rage  at  the  trick  the  beast  had  played 
me,  and,  jumping  on  the  negro's  horse,  I  galloped  away  like'mad. 

My  rebellious  steed  was  grazing  quietly  -with  his  companions, 
and  he  allowed  me  to  come  within  a  couple  of  hundred  paces  of 
him  5  but  just  as  I  had  prepared  the  lasso,  which  was  fastened  t< 


196 

the  negro's  saddle-bow,  he  gave  a  start,  galloped  off  some  dis 
tance  further,  and  I  after  him.  Again  he  made  a  pause,  and 
munched  a  mouthful  of  grass — then  off  again  for  another  half 
mile.  This  time  I  had  great  hopes  of  catching  him,  for  he  let 
me  come  within  a  hundred  yards  ;  but,  just  as  I  was  creeping  up 
to  him,  away  he  went  with  one  of  his  shrill  neighs.  When  I  gal 
loped  fast,  he  went  faster  ;  when  I  rode  slowly,  he  slackened  his 
pace.  At  least  ten  times  did  he  let  me  approach  him  within  a 
couple  of  hundred  yards,  with  little  or  no  prospect  of  getting  hold 
of  him.  Itr  was  certainly  high  time  to  desist  from  such  a  mad  chase, 
but  I  never  dreamed  of  doing  so  ;  and  indeed  the  longer  it  lasted, 
the  more  obstinate  I  got.  I  rode  on  after  the  beast,  who  kept 
letting  me  come  nearer  and  nearer,  and  then  darted  off  again  with 
his  loud  laughing  neigh.  It  was  this  infernal  neigh  that  made 
me  so  savage — there  was  something  so  spiteful  and  triumphant 
in  it,  as  though  the  animal  knew  he  was  making  a  fool  of  me,  and 
exulted  in  so  doing.  At  last,  however,  I  got  so  sick  of  my  horse- 
hunt  that  I  determined  to  make  a  last  trial ;  and,  if  that  failed, 
to  turn»back.  The  run-away  had  stopped  near  one  of  the 
islands  of  trees,  and  was  grazing  close  to  its  edge.  I  thought 
that  if  I  were  to  creep  round  to  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and 
then  steal  across  it,  through  the  trees,  I  should  be  able  to  throw 
the  lasso  over  his  head,  or,  at  any  rate,  to  drive  him  back  to  the 
house.  This  plan  I  put  in  execution — rode  round  the  island, 
then  through  it,  lasso  in  hand,  and  as  softly  as  if  I  had  been 
riding  over  eggs.  To  my  consternation,  however,  on  arriving  at 
the  edge  of  the  trees,  and  at  the  exact  spot  where,  only  a  few 
minutes  before,  I  had  seen  the  mustang  grazing,  no  signs  of  him 
were  to  be  perceived.  I  made  the  circuit  of  the  island,  but  in 
vain — the  animal  had  disappeared.  With  a  hearty  curse,  I  put 
spurs  to  my  horse,  and  started  off  to  ride  back  to  the  plantation. 
Neither  the  plantation,  the  cattle,  nor  my  companions,  were 
visible,  it  is  true :  but  this  gave  me  no  uneasiness.  I  felt  sure 
that  I  knew  the  direction  in  which  I  had  come,  and  that  the 
island  I  had  just  left  was  one  which  was  visible  from  the  house, 
while  all  around  me  were  such  numerous  tracks  of  horses,  that 


197 

the  possibility  of  my  having  lost  my  way  never  occurred  tc  me, 
and  I  rode  on  quite  unconcernedly. 

After  riding  for  about  an  hour,  however,  I  began  to  find  the 
time  rather  long.  I  looked  at  my  watch.  It  was  past  one  o'clock. 
We  had  started  at  nine,  and,  allowing  an  hour  and  a  half  to  have 
been  spent  in  finding  the  cattle,  I  had  passed  nearly  three  hours 
in  my  wild  and  unsuccessful  hunt.  I  began  to  think  that  I  must 
have  got  further  from  the  plantation  than  I  had  as  yet  supposed 


CHAPTER    XIX, 


4     PRAIRIE     SCAMPER. 

IT  was  towards  the  end  of  March,  the  day  clear  and  warm,  just 
like  a  May-day  in  the  Southern  States.  The  sun  was  now  shining 
brightly  out,  but  the  early  part  of  the  morning  had  been  somewhat 
foggy  ;  and,  as  I  had  only  arrived  at  the  plantation  the  day  before, 
and  had  passed  the  whole  afternoon*  and  evening  indoors,  I  had 
no  opportunity  of  getting  acquainted  with  the  bearings  of  the 
house.  This  reflection  began  to  make  me  rather  uneasy,  particu 
larly  when  I  remembered  the  entreaties  of  the  negro,  and  the  loud 
exhortations  Mr.  Neal  addressed  to  me  as  I  rode  away.  I  said 
to  myself,  however,  that  I  could  not  be  more  than  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  from  the  plantation,  that  I  should  soon  come  in  sight  of  the 
herds  of  cattle,  and  that  then  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  find 
ing  my  way.  But  when  I  had  ridden  another  hour  without  seeing 
the  smallest  sign  either  of  man  or  beast,  I  got  seriously  uneasy. 
In  my  impatience,  I  abused  poor  Neal  for  not  sending  somebody 
to  find  me.  His  huntsman,  I  had  heard,  was  gone  to  Anahuac, 
and  would  not  be  back  for  two  or  three  days ;  but  he  might  have 
sent  a  couple  of  his  lazy  negroes.  Or,  if  he  had  only  fired  a  shot 
or  two  as  a  signal.  I  stopped  and  listened,  in  hopes  of  hearing 
the  crack  of  a  rifle.  But  the  deepest  stillness  reigned  around, 
scarcely  the  chirp  of  a  bird  was  heard — all  nature  seemed  to  be 
taking  the  siesta.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  was  a  waving  sea 
of  grass,  here  and  there  an  island  of  trees,  but  not  a  trace  of  a 
human  being.  At  last  I  thought  I  had  made  a  discovery.  The 
nearest  clump  of  trees  was  undoubtedly  the  same  which  I  had 


199 

pointed  out  to  my  companions  soon  after  we  had  left  the  house. 
It  bore  a  fantastical  resemblance  to  a  snake  coiled  up  and  about 
to  dart  upon  its  prey.  About  six  or  seven  miles  from  the  plan 
tation  we  had  passed  it  on  our  right  hand,  and  if  I  now  kept  it 
upon  my  left,  I  could  not  fail  to  be  going  in  a  proper  direction. 
So  said,  so  done.  I  trotted  on  most  perseveringly  towards  the 
point  of  the  horizon  where  I  felt  certain  the  house  must  lie.  One 
hour  passed,  then  a  second,  then  a  third;  every  now  and  then  I 
stopped  and  listened,  but  nothing  was  audible,  not  a  shot  nor  a 
shout.  But  although  I  heard  nothing,  I  saw  iomething  which 
gave  me  no  great  pleasure.  In  the  direction  in  which  we  had 
ridden  out,  the  grass  was  very  abundant  and  the  flowers  scarce ; 
whereas  the  part  of  the  prairie  in  which  I  now  found  myself  pre 
sented  the  appearance  of  a  perfect  flower  garden,  with  scarcely  a 
square  foot  of  green  to  be  seen.  The  most  variegated  carpet  of 
flowers  I  ever  beheld  lay  unrolled  before  me ;  red,  yellow,  violet, 
blue,  every  color  was  there  5  millions  of  the  most  magnificent 
prairie  roses,  tuberoses,  asters,  dahlias,  and  fifty  other  kinds  of 
flowers.  The  finest  artificial  garden  in  the  world  would  sink  into 
insignificance  when  compared  with  this  parterre  of  nature's  own 
planting.  My  horse  could  hardly  make  his  way  through  the  wil 
derness  of  flowers,, and  I  for  a  time  remained  lost  in  admiration 
of  this  scene  of  extraordinary  beauty.  The  prairie  in  the  distance 
looked  as  if  clothed  with  rainbows,  that  waved  to  and  fro  over  its 
surface. 

But  the  difficulties  and  anxieties  of  my  situation  soon  banished 
all  other  thoughts,  and  I  rode  on  with  perfect  indifference  through 
a  scene,  that,  under  other  circumstances,  would  have  captivated 
my  entire  attention.  All  the  stories  that  I  had  heard  of  mishaps 
in  these  endless  prairies,  recurred  in  vivid  coloring  to  my  memory, 
not  mere  backwoodsman's  legends,  but  facts  well  authenticated  by 
persons  of  undoubted  veracity  who  had  warned  me,  before  I  came 
to  Texas,  against  venturing  without  guide  or  compass  into  these 
dangerous  wilds.  Even  men  who  had  been  long  in  the  country, 
were  often  known  to  lose  themselves,  and  to  wander  for  days  and 
weeks  over  these  oceans  of  grass,  where  no  hill  or  variety  of  sur 
face  offers  a  landmark  to  the  traveller.  In  summer  and  autumn 


200 

such  a  position  would  have  one  danger  the  less,  that  is,  there 
would  be  no  risk  of  dying  of  hunger  ;  for  at  those  seasons  the  most 
delicious  fruits,  grapes,  plums,  peaches,  and  others,  are  to  be  found 
in  abundance.  But  we  were  now  in  early  spring,  and  although  I 
saw  numbers  of  peach  and  plum  trees,  they  were  only  in  blossom. 
Of  game  also  there  was  plenty,  both  fuc  and  feather,  but  I  had 
no  gun,  and  nothing  appeared  more  probable  than  that  I  should 
die  of  hunger,  although  surrounded  by  food,  and  in  one  of  the 
most  fruitful  countries  in  the  world.  This  thought  flashed  sud 
denly  across  me,  and  for  a  moment  my  heart  sunk  within  me  as  I 
first  perceived  the  real  danger  of  my  position. 

After  a  time,  however,  other  ideas  came  to  console  me.  I  had 
been  already  four  weeks  in  the  country,  and  had  ridden  over  a 
large  slice  of  it  in  every  direction,  always  through  prairies,  and  I 
had  never  had  any  difficulty  in  finding  my  way.  True,  but  then 
I  had  always  had  a  compass  and  been  in  company.  It  was  this 
sort  of  over-confidence  and  feeling  of  security,  that  had  made  me 
adventure  so  rashly,  and  spite  of  all  warning,  in  pursuit  of  the 
mustang.  I  had  not  waited  to  reflect,  that  a  little  more  than  four 
weeks'  experience  was  necessary  to  make  one  acquainted  with  the 
bearings  of  a  district  three  times  as  big  as  New  York  State.  Still 
I  thought  it  impossible  that  I  should  have  got  so  far  out  of  the 
right  track  as  not  to  be  able  to  find  the  house  before  nightfall, 
which  was  now,  however,  rapidly  approaching.  Indeed,  the  first 
shade  of  evening,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  gave  this  persuasion  in 
creased  strength.  Home-bred  and  gently  nurtured  as  I  was,  my 
life  before  coming  to  Texas  had  been  by  no  means  one  of  adven 
ture,  and  I  was  so  used  to  sleep  with  a  roof  over  my  head,  that 
when  I  saw  it  getting  dusk  I  felt  certain  I  could  not  be  far  from 
the  house.  ^  The  idea  fixed  itself  so  strongly  in  my  mind,  that  I 
involuntarily  spurred  my  mustang,  and  trotted  on,  peering  out 
through  the  fast-gathering  gloom,  in  expectation  of  seeing  a  light. 
Several  times  I  fancied  I  heard  the  barking  of  the  dogs,  the  cattle 
lowing,  or  the  merry  laugh  of  the  children. 

"  Hurrah  !  there  is  the  house  at  last — I  see  the  lights  in  tha 
parlor  windows." 

I  urged  my  horse  on,  but  when  I  came  near  the  house,  it  provo4 


201 
•  • 

to  be  an  island  of  trees.  What  I  had  taken  for  candles  were  fire 
flies,  that  now  issued  in  swarms  from  out  of  the  darkness  of  the 
islands,  and  spread  themselves  over  the  prairie,  darting  about  in 
every  direction,  their  small  blue  flames  literally  lighting  up  the 
plain,  and  making  it  appear  as  if  I  were  surrounded  by  a  wall  of 
Bengal  fire.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  anything  more  bewilder 
ing  than  such  a  ride  as  mine,  on  a  warm  March  night,  through  the 
interminable  never-varying  prairie.  Overhead  the  deep  blue  fir 
mamerit,  with  its  hosts  of  bright  stars  ;  at  my  feet,  and  all  around, 
an  ocean  of  magical  light,  myriads  of  fire-flies  floating  upon  the 
soft  still  air.  To  me  it  was  like  a  scene  of  enchantment.  I  could 
distinguish  every  blade  of  grass,  every  flower,  each  leaf  on  the 
trees,  but  all  in  a  strange  unnatural  sort  of  light,  and  in  altered 
colors.  Tuberoses  and  asters,  prairie  roses  and  geraniums,  dahlias 
and  vine  branches,  began  to  wave  and  move,  to  range  themselves 
in  ranks  and  rows.  The  whole  vegetable  world  around  me  seemed 
to  dance,  as  the  swarms  of  living  lights  passed  over  it. 

Suddenly  out  of  the  sea  of  fire  sounded  a  loud  and  long-drawn 
note.  I  stopped,  listened,  and  gazed  around  me.  It  was  not  re-' 
peated,  and  I  rode  on.  Again  the  same  sound,  but  this  time  the 
cadence  was  sad  and  plaintive.  Again  I  made  a  halt  and  listened. 
It  was  repeated  a  third  time  in  a  yet  more  melancholy  tone,  and 
I  recognized  it  as  the  cry  of  a  whip-poor-will.  Presently  it  was 
answered  from  a  neighboring  island  by  a  Katydid.  My  heart 
leaped  for  joy  at  hearing  the  note  of  this  bird,  the  native  minstrel 
of  my  own  dear  fatherland.  In  an  instant  the  house  where  I  was 
born  stood  before  the  eyesight  of  my  imagination.  There  were 
the  negro  huts,  the  garden,  the  plantation,  everything  exactly  as 
I  had  left  it.  So  powerful  was  the  illusion,  that  I  gave  my  horse 
the  spur,  persuaded  that  my  fathers  house  lay  before  me.  The 
island,  too,  I  took  for  the  grove  that  surrounded  our  house.  On 
reaching  its  border,  I  literally  dismounted,  and  shouted  out  for 
Charon  Tommy.  There  was  a  stream  running  through  our  plan 
tation,  which,  for  nine  months  out  of  the  twelve,  was  only  passable 
by  means  of  a  ferry,  and  the  old  negro  who  officiated  as  ferryman 
was  indebted  to  me  for  the  above  classical  cognomen.  I  believe 
I  called  twice,  nay,  three  times,  but  no  Charon  Tommy  answered ; 


202 

• 

and  I  awoke  as  from  a  pleasant  dream,  somewhat  ashamed  of  the 
length  to  which  my  excked  imagination  had  hurried  me. 

I  now  felt  so  weary  and  exhausted,  so  hungry  and  thirsty,  and 
withal,  my  mind  was  so  anxious  and  harassed  by  my  dangerous 
position,  and  the  uncertainty  how  I  should  get  out  of  it,  that  I 
was  really  incapable  of  going  any  further.  I  felt  quite  bewildered, 
and  stood  for  some  time  gazing  before  me,  and  scarcely  even 
troubling  myself  to  think.  At  length  I  mechanically  drew  my 
clasp-knife  from  my  pocket,  and  set  to  work  to  dig  a  hole  in  the 
rich  black  soil  of  the  prairie.  Into  this  hole  I  put  the  knotted 
end  of  my  lasso,  and  then  pushing  it  down  with  my  foot,  as  I  had 
seen  others  do  since  I  had  been  in  Texas,  I  passed  the  noose  over 
my  mustang's  neck,  and  left  him  to  graze,  while  I  myself  lay  down 
outside  the  circle  which  the  lasso  would  enable  him  to  describe. 
An  odd  manner,  it  may  seem  of  tying  up  a  horse ;  but  the  most 
convenient  and  natural  one  in  a  country  where  one  may  often  find 
one's-self  fifty  miles  from  any  house,  and  five-and-twenty  from  a 
tree  or  bush. 

I  found  it  no  easy  matter  to  sleep,  for  on  all  sides  I  heard  the 
howling  of  wolves  and  jaguars,  an  unpleasant  serenade  at  any  time, 
but  most  of  all  so  in  the  prairie,  unarmed  and  defenceless  as  I 
was.  My  nerves,  too,  were  all  in  commotion,  and  I  felt  so  feverish 
that  I  do  not  know  what  I  should  have  done,  had  I  not  fortu 
nately  remembered  that  I  had  my  cigar-case  and  a  roll  of  tobacco, 
real  Virginia  dulcissimus,  in  my  pocket — invaluable  treasures  in 
my  present  situation,  and  which  on  this,  as  on  many  other  occa 
sions,  did  not  fail  to  soothe  and  calm  my  agitated  thoughts. 

Luckily,  too,  being  a  tolerably  confirmed  smoker,  I  carried  A 
flint  and  steel  with  me ;  for  otherwise,  although  surrounded  by 
lights,  I  should  have  been  sadly  at  a  loss  for  fire.  A  couple  of 
Havanas  did  me  an  infinite  deal  of  good,  and  after  a  while  1  sunk 
into  the  slumber  of  which  I  stood  so  much  in  need. 

The  day  was  hardly  well  broken  when  I  awoke.  The  refresh 
ing  sleep  I  had  enjoyed  had  given  me  new  energy  and  courage. 
[  felt  hungry  enough,  to  be  sure,  but  light  and  cheerful,  and  I 
hastened  to  dig  up  the  end  of  the  lasso,  and  saddled  my  horse.  I 
trusted  that,  though  I  had  been  condemned  to  wander  over  tht 


203 

prairie  the  whole  of  the  preceding  day  as  a  sort  of  punishment  foi 
my  rashness,  I  should  now  have  better  luck,  and  having  expiated 
my  fault,  be  at  length  allowed  to  find  my  way.  With  this  hope  I 
mounted  my  mustang,  and  resumed  my  ride. 

I  passed  several  beautiful  islands  of  pecan,  plum,  and  peach 
trees.  It  is  a  peculiarity  worthy  of  remark,  that  these  islands 
are  nearly  always  of  one  sort  of  tree.  It  is  very  rare  to  meet 
with  one  where  there  are  two  sorts.  Like  the  beasts  of  the  forest, 
that  herd  together  according  to  their  kind,  so  does  this  wild  vege 
tation  preserve  it.  One  island  will  be  entirely  composed  of  live 
oaks,  another  of  plum,  and  a  third  of  pecan  trees  ;  the  vine  only 
is  common  to  them  all,  and  embraces  them  all  alike  with  its  slen 
der  but  tenacious  branches.  I  rode  through  several  of  them 
islands.  They  were  perfectly  free  from  bushes  and  brushwood, 
and  carpeted  with  the  most  beautiful  verdure  it  is  possible  to  be 
hold.  I  gazed  at  them  in  astonishment.  It  seemed  incredible 
that  nature,  abandoned  to  herself,  should  preserve  herself  so 
beautifully  clean  and  pure,  and  I  involuntarily  looked  around  me 
for  some  trace  of  the  hand  of  man.  But  none  was  there.  I  saw 
nothing  but  herds  of  deer,  that  gazed  wonderingly  at  me  with 
their  large  clear  eyes,  and  when  I  approached  too  near,  galloped 
off  in  alarm.  What  would  I  not  have  given  for  an  ounce  of  lead, 
a  charge  of  powder,  and  a  Kentucky  rifle  ?  Nevertheless,  the 
mere  sight  of  the  beasts  gladdened  me,  and  raised  my  spirits. 
They  were  a  sort  of  society.  Something  of  the  same  feeling 
seemed  to  be  imparted  to  my  horse,  who  bounded  under  me, 
and  neighed  merrily  as  he  cantered  along  in  the  fresh  spring 
morning. 

I  was  now  skirting  the  side  of  an  island  of  trees  of  greater  ex 
tent  than  most  of  those  I  had  hitherto  seen.  On  reaching  the 
end  of  it,  I  suddenly  came  in  sight  of  an  object  presenting  so  ex 
traordinary  an  appearance  as  far  to  surpass  any  of  the  natural 
wonders  I  had  as  yet  beheld,  either  in  Texas  or  the  United 
States. 

At  the  distance  of  about  two  miles  rose  a  colossal  mass,  in 
shape  somewhat  like  a  monumental  mound  or  tumulus,  and  appa 
rently  of  the  brightest  silver.  As  I  came  in  view  of  it,  the  SUD 


204 

was  just  covered  by  a  passing  cloud,  from  the  lower  edge  of  which 
the  bright  rays  shot  down  obliquely  upon  this  extraordinary  phe 
nomenon,  lighting  it  up  in  the  most  brilliant  manner.  At  one 
moment  it  looked  like  a  huge  silver  cone  ;  then  took  the  appear 
ance  of  an  illuminated  castle  with  pinnacles  and  towers,  or  the 
dome  of  some  great  cathedral ;  then  of  a  gigantic  elephant,  cov 
ered  with  trappings,  but  always  of  solid  silver,  and  indescribably 
magnificent.  Had  all  the  treasures  of  the  earth  been  offered  me 
to  say  what  it  was,  I  should  have  been  unable  to  answer.  Be 
wildered  by  my  interminable  wanderings  in  the  prairie,  and  weak 
ened  by  fatigue  and  hunger,  a  superstitious  feeling  for  a  moment 
came  over  me,  and  I  half  asked  myself  whether  I  had  not  reached 
some  enchanted  region,  into  which  the  evil  spirit  of  the  prairie 
was  luring  me  to  destruction  by  appearances  of  supernatural 
strangeness  and  beauty. 

Banishing  these  wild  imaginings,  I  rode  on  in  the  direction 
of  this  strange  object;  but  it  was  only  .when  I  came  within  a 
very  short  distance,  that  I  was  able  to  distinguish  its  nature.  It 
was  a  live  oak  of  most  stupendous  dimensions,  the  very  patriarch 
of  the  prairie,  grown  grey  in  the  lapse  of  ages.  Its  lower  limbs 
had  shot  out  in  a  horizontal,  or  rather  a  downward-slanting  direc 
tion  ;  and,  reaching  nearly  to  the  ground,  formed  a  vast  dome 
several  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  and  full  a  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  high.  It  had  no  appearance  of  a  tree,  for  neither  trunk  nor 
branches  were,  visible.  It  seemed  a  mountain  of  whitish-green 
scales,  fringed  with  long  silvery  moss,  that  hung  like  innumer 
able  beards  from  every  bough  and  twig.  Nothing  could  better 
convey  the  idea  of  immense  and  incalculable  age  than  the  hoary 
beard  and  venerable  appearance  of  this  monarch  of  the  woods. 
Spanish  moss  of  a  silvery  grey  covered  the  whole  mass  of  wood 
and  foliage,  from  the  topmost  bough  down  to  the  very  ground ; 
short  near  the  top  of  the  tree,  but  gradually  increasing  in  length 
as  it  descended,  until  it  hung  like  a  deep  fringe  from  the  lower 
branches.  I  separated  the  vegetable  curtain  with  my  hands,  and 
entered  this  august  temple  with  feelings  of  involuntary  awe. 
The  change  from  the  bright  sunlight  to  the  comparative  dark 
ness  beneath  the  leafy  vault,  was  BO  great  that  I  at  first  could 


205 

scarcely  distinguish  anything.  When  my  eyes  got  accustomed 
to  the  gloom,  however,  nothing  could  be  more  beautiful  than  the 
effect  of  the  sun's  rays,  which,  in  forcing  their  way  through  the 
silvered  leaves  and  mosses,  took  as  many  varieties  of  colors  as  if 
they  had  passed  through  a  window  of  painted  glass,  and  gave  the 
rich,  subdued,  and  solemn  light  of  some  old  cathedral. 

The  trunk  of  the  tree  rose,  free  from  all  branches,  full  forty 

feet  from  the  ground,  rough  and  knotted,  and  of  such  enormous 

size  that  it  might  have  been  taken  for  a  mass  of  rock,  covered 

with  moss  and  -lichens,  while  many  of  its  boughs  were  nearly  as 

•  thick  as  the  trunk  of  any  tree  I  liad  ever  previously  seen. 

I  was  so  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  the  vegetable  giant, 
that  for  a  short  space  I  almost  forgot  my  troubles ;  but  as  I  rode 
away  from  the  tree,  they  returned  to  me  in  full  force,  and  my 
reflections  were  certainly  of  no  very  cheering  or  consolatory 
nature.  I  rode  on,  however,  most  perseveringly.  The  morning 
slipped  away ;  it  was  noon,  and  the  sun  stood  high  in  the  cloud 
less  heavens.  My  hunger  had  now  increased  to  an  insupportable 
degree,  and  I  felt  as  if  something  were  gnawing  within  me — 
something  like  a  crab,  tugging  and  riving  at  my  stomach  with  his 
sharp  claws.  This  feeling  left  me  after  a  time,  and  was  replaced 
by  a  sort  of  squeamishness— a  faint,  sickly  sensation.  But  if 
hunger  was  bad,  thirst  was  worse.  For  some  hours  I  suffered 
martyrdom.  At  length,  like  the  hunger,  it  died  away,  and  was 
succeeded  by  a  feeling  of  sickness.  The  thirty  hours'  fatigue 
and  fasting  I  had  endured  were  beginning  to  tell  upon  my  natu 
rally  strong  nerves  :  I  felt  my  reasoning  powers  growing  weaker, 
and  my  presence  of  mind  leaving  me.  A  feeling  of  despondency 
came  over  me — a  thousand  wild  fancies  passed  through  my  be 
wildered  brain ;  while  at  times  my  head  grew  dizzy,  and  I  reeled 
in  my  saddle  like  a  drunken  man.  These  weak  fits,  as  I  may 
call  them,  did  not  last  long ;  and  each  time  that  I  recovered,  I 
spurred  my  mustang  onwards,  but  it  was  all  in  vain — ride  as  far 
and  as  fast  as  I  would,  nothing  was  visible  but  a  boundless  sea 
of  grass. 

At  length  I  gave  up  all  hope,  except  in  that  God  whose   al 
mighty  hand  was  so  manifest  in  the  beauteous  works  around  me 


206 

I  let  the  bridle  fall  on  my  horse's  neck,  clasped  my  hands  to* 
gether,  and  prayed  as  I  had  never  before  prayed,  so  heartily  and 
earnestly.  When  I  had  finished  my  prayer  I  felt  greatly  com 
forted.  It  seemed  to  me  that  here  in  the  wilderness,  which  man 
had  not  as  yet  polluted,  I  was  nearer  to  God?  and  that  my  petition 
would  assuredly  be  heard.  I  gazed  cheerfully  around,  persuaded 
that  I  should  yet  escape  from  the  peril  in  which  I  stood.  As  I 
did  so,  with  what  astonishment  and  inexpressible  delight  did  I 
perceive  not  ten  paces  off,  the  track  of  a  horse ! 

The  effect  of  this  discovery  was  like  an  electric  shock  to  me, 
and  drew  a  cry  of  joy  to  my  lips  that  made  my  mustang  start  and 
prick  his  ears.  Tears  of  delight  and  gratitude  to  Heaven  came 
into  my  eyes,  and  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  leaping  off  my 
horse  and  kissing  the  welcome  signs  that  gave  me  assurance  of 
succor.  With  renewed  strength  I  galloped  onwards ;  and  had  I 
been  a  lover  flying  to  rescue  his  mistress  from  an  Indian  war 
party,  I  could  not  have  displayed  more  eagerness  than  I  did  in 
following  up  the  trail  of  an  unknown  traveller. 

Never  had  I  felt  so  thankful  to  Providence  as  at  that  moment. 
I  uttered  thanksgivings  as  I  rode  on,  and  contemplated  the  won 
derful  evidences  of  his  skill  and  might  that  offered  themselves  to 
me  on  all  sides.  The  aspect  of  everything  seenred  changed,  and 
I  gazed  with  renewed  admiration  at  the  scenes  through  which  I 
passed,  and  which  I  had  previously  been  too  pre-occupied  by  the 
danger  of  my  position  to  notice.  The  beautiful  appearance  of  the 
islands  struck  me  particularly  as  they  lay  in  the  distance,  seeming 
to  swim  in  the  bright,  golden  beams  of  the  noonday  sun,  like  dark 
spots  of  foliage  in  the  midst  of  the  waving  grasses  and  many-hued 
flowers  of  the  prairie.  Before  me  lay  the  eternal  flower-carpet 
with  its  innumerable  asters,  tuberoses,  and  mimosas,  that  delicate 
plant  which,  when  you  approach  it,  lifts  its  head,  seems  to  look  at 
you,  and  then  droops  and  shrinks  back  in  alarm.  This  I  saw  it 
do  when  I  was  two  or  three  paces  from  it,  and  without  my  horse's 
foot  having  touched  it.  Its  long  roots  stretched  out  horizontally 
in  the  ground,  and  the  approaching  tread  of  a  horse  or  man  is 
communicated  through  them  to  the  plant,  and  produces  this  sin 
gular  phenomenon.  When  the  danger  is  gone  by,  and  the  earth 


207 

seases  to  vibrate,  the  mimosa  may  be  seen  to  raise  its  head  again, 
but  quivering  and  trembling,  as  though  not  yet  fully  recovered 
from  its  fears. 

I  had  ridden  on  for  three  or  four  hours,  following  the  track  I 
had  so  fortunately  discovered,  when  I  came  upon  the  trace  of  a 
second  horseman,  who  appeared  to  have  here  joined  the  first  tra 
veller.  It  ran  in  a  parallel  direction  to  the  one  I  was  following. 

Had  it  been  possible  to  increase  my  joy,  this  discovery  would 
have  done  so.  I  could  now  entertain  no  doubt  that  I  had  hit  upon 
the  way  out  of  this  terrible  prairie.  It  struck  me  as  being  rather 
singular  that  two  travellers  should  have  met  in  this  immense  plain, 
which  so  few  persons  traversed ;  but  that  they  had  done  so  was 
certain,  for  there  was  the  track  of  the  two  horses  as  plain  as  pos 
sible.  The  trail  was  fresh,  too,  and  it  was  evidently  not  long  since 
the  horsemen  had  passed.  It  might  still  be  possible  to  overtake 
them,  and  in  this  hope  I  rode  on  faster  than  ever,  as  fast,  at  least, 
as  my  mustang  could  carry  me  through  the  thick  grass  and  flowers, 
which  in  many  places  were  four  or  five  feet  high. 

During  the  next  three  hours  I  passed  over  some  ten  or  twelve 
miles  of  ground ;  but  although  the  trail  still  lay  plainly  and 
broadly  marked  before  me,  I  saw  nothing  of  those  who  had  left  it. 
Still  I  persevered.  I  must  overtake  them  sooner  or  later,  provi 
ded  I  did  not  lose  the  track ;  and  that  I  was  most  careful  not  to 
do,  keeping  my  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground  as  I  rode  along,  and 
never  deviating  from  the  line  which  the  travellers  had  followed. 

In  this  manner  the  day  passed  away,  and  evening  approached. 
I  still  felt  hope  and  courage  ;  but  my  physical  strength  began  to 
give  way.  The  gnawing  sensation  of  hunger  increased.  I  was 
sick  and  faint ;  my  limbs  became  heavy,  and  my  blood  seemed 
chilled  in  my  veins,  and  all  my  senses  appeared  to  grow  duller 
under  the  influence  of  exhaustion,  thirst,  and  hunger.  My  eye 
sight  became  misty,  my  hearing  less  acute,  the  bridle  felt  cold  and 
heavy  in  my  fingers. 

Still  I  rode  on.  Sooner  or  later  I  must  find  an  outlet ;  the 
prairie  must  have  an  end  somewhere.  It  is  true  the  whole  of 
Southern  Texas  is  one  vast  prairie ;  but  then  there  are  rivera 
flowing  through  it,  and  if  I  could  reach  one  of  those.  I  should  not 


208 

be  far  from  the  abodes  of  men.  By  following  the  streams  five  or 
six  miles  up  or  down,  I  should  be  sure  to  find  a  plantation. 

As  I  was  thus  reasoning  with,  and  encouraging  myself,  I  sud 
denly  perceived  the  traces  of  a  third  horse,  running  parallel  to  the 
two  which  I  had  been  so  long  following.  This  was  indeed  en- 
courgement.  It  was  certain  that  three  travellers,  arriving  from 
different  points  of  the  prairie,  and  all  going  in  the  same  direction 
must  have  some  object,  must  be  repairing  to  some  village  or  clear 
ing,  and  where  or  what  this  was,  had  now  become  indifferent  to 
me,  so  long  as  I  once  more  found  myself  amongst  my  fellow-men. 
I  spurred  on  my  mustang,  who  was  beginning  to  flag  a  little  in 
his  pace  with  the  fatigue  of  our  long  ride. 

The  sun  set  behind  the  high  trees  of  an  island  that  bounded 
my  view  westward,  and  there  being  little  or  no  twilight  in  those 
southerly  latitudes,  the  broad  day  was  almost  instantaneously 
replaced  by  the  darkness  of  night.  I  could  proceed  no  farther 
without  losing  the  track  of  the  three  horsemen ;  and  as  I  hap 
pened  to  be  close  to  an  island,  I  fastened  my  mustang  to  a  branch 
with  the  lasso,  and  threw  myself  on  the  grass  under  the  trees. 

This  night,  however,  I  had  no  fancy  for  tobacco.  Neither  the 
cigars  nor  the  dulcissimus  tempted  me.  I  tried  to  sleep,  but  in 
vain.  Once  or  twice  I  began  to  dose,  but  was  roused  again  by 
violent  cramps  and  twitchings  i,n  all  my  limbs.  There  is  nothing 
more  horrible  than  a  night  passed  in  the  way  I  passed  that  one, 
faint  and  weak,  enduring  torture  from  hunger  and  thirst,  striving 
after  sleep  and  never  finding  it.  I  can  only  compare  the  sensa 
tion  of  hunger  I  experienced  to  that  of  twenty  pairs  of  pincers 
tearing  at  my  stomach. 

With  the  first  grey  light  of  morning  I  got  up  and  prepared  for 
departure.  It  was  a  long  business,  however,  to  get  my  horse 
ready.  The  saddle  which  at  other  times  I  could  throw  upon  his 
back  with  two  fingers,  now  seemed  made  of  lead,  and  it  was  as 
much  as  I  could  do  to  lift  it.  I  had  still  more  difficulty  to  draw 
the  girths  tight ;  but  at  last  I  accomplished  this,  and  scrambling 
upon  my  beast  rode  off.  Luckily  my  mustang's  spirit  was  pretty 
well  taken  out  of  him  by  the  last  two  days'  work  ;  for  if  he  had 
been  fresh,  the  smallest  spring  on  one  side  would  have  sufficed  to 


209 

throw  me  out  of  the  saddle.  As  it  was,  I  sat  upon  him  like  an 
automaton,  hanging  forward  on  his  neck,  sometimes  grasping  the 
mane,  and  almost  unable  to  use  either  rein  or  spur. 

I  had  ridden  on  for  some  hours  in  this  helpless  manner,  when 
I  came  to  a  place  where  the  three  horsemen  whose  track  I  wag 
following  had  apparently  made  a  halt,  perhaps  passed  the  previous 
night.  The  grass  was  trampled  and  beaten  down  in  a  circum 
ference  of  some  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  and  there  was  a  confusion  in 
the  horse-tracks  as  if  they  had  ridden  backwards  and  forwards. 
Fearful  of  losing  the  right  trace,  I  was  looking  carefully  about  me 
to  see  in  what  direction  they  had  recommenced  their  journey, 
when  I  noticed  something  white  amongst  the  long  grass.  I  got  off 
my  horse  to  pick  it  up.  It  was  a  piece  of  paper  with  my  own 
name  written  upon  it ;  and  I  recognized  it  as  the  back  of  a  letter 
in  which  my  tobacco  had  been  wrapped,  and  which  I  had  thrown 
away  at  my  halting  place  of  the  preceding  nigl^t.  I  looked 
around,  and  recognized  the  island  and  the  very  tree  under  which 
I  had.  slept,  or  endeavored  to  sleep.  The  horrible  truth  instantly 
flashed  across  me — the  horse  tracks  I  had  been  following  were  my 
own :  since  the  preceding  morning  I  had  been  riding  in  a  circle  i 


CHAPTER    XX. 

THE     PERIL. — THE     RESCUE. 

READER,  did  you  ever  have  your  dearest  hopes  crushed  at  one 
fell  moment  ?  Were  your  fondest  aspirations  ever  blighted  at  one 
unlocked  for  disaster  ?  If  not,  you  can  but  feebly  imagine  my 
feelings  on  realizing  the  dreadful  fact  announced  at  the  close  of 
the  last  chapter.  I  stood  for  a  few  seconds  thunderstruck,  and 
then  sank  upon  the  ground  in  utter  despair.  At  that  moment  I 
should  have  been  thankful  to  any  one  who  would  have  knocked 
me  on  the  head  as  I  lay.  All  I  wished  for  was  to  die  as  speedily 
as  possible. 

I  remained  I  know  not  how  long  lying  in  a  desponding,  half 
insensible,  state  upon  the  grass.  Several  hours  must  have 
elapsed  ;  for  when  I  got  up  the  sun  was  low  in  the  western  hea 
vens.  My  head  was  so  weak  and  wandering,  that  I  could  not  well 
explain  to  myself  how  it  was  that  I  had  been  thus  riding  after  ray 
own  shadow.  Yet  the  thing 'Was  clear  enough.  Without  land 
marks,  and  in  the  monotonous  scenery  of  the  prairie,  I  might 
have  gone  on  for  ever  following  my  horse's  track,  and  going  back 
when  I  thought  I  was  going  forwards,  had  it  not  been  for  the  dis 
covery  of  the  tobacco  paper.  I  was,  as  I  subsequently  learned,  in 
the  Jacinto  prairie,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  Texas,  full  sixty 
miles  long  and  broad,  but  in  which  the  most  experienced  hunters 
never  risked  themselves  without  a  compass.  It  was  little  wonder 
then,  that  I,  a  mere  boy  of  two-and-twenty,  just  escaped  from  col 
lege,  should  have  gone  astray  in  it. 

I  now  gave  myself  up  for  lost,  and  with  the  bridle  twisted 


'  -        211 

round  my  hand,  and  holding  on  as  well  as  I  could  by  the  saddle 
and  mane,  I  let  my  horse  choose  his  own  road.  It  would  per 
haps  have  been  better  if  I  had  done  this  sooner.  The  beast's 
instinct  would  probably  have  led  him  to  some  plantation.  When 
he  found  himself  left  to  his  own  guidance,  he  threw  up  his  head, 
snuffed  the  air  three  or  four  times,  and  then  turning  round,  set 
off  in:  a  contrary  direction,  and  at  such  a  brisk  pace  that  it  was 
as  much  as  I  could  do  to  keep  upon  him.  Every  jolt  caused  me 
so  much  pain,  that  I  was  more  than  once  tempted  to  let  myself 
fall  off  his  back. 

At  last  night  came — and  thanks  to  the  lasso,  which  kept  my 
horse  in  awe,  I  managed  to  dismount  and  secure  him.  The  whole 
night  through  I  suffered  from  racking  pains  in  head,  limbs,  and 
body.  I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  broken  on  the  wheel ;  not  an  inch 
of  my  whole  person  but  ached  and  smarted.  My  hands  were 
grown  thin  and  transparent,  my  cheeks  fallen  in,  my  eyes  deep 
sunk  in  their  sockets.  When  I  touched  my  face,  I  could  feel 
the  change  that  had  taken  place ;  and  as  I  did  so,  I  caught, 
myself  once  or  twice  laughing  like  a  child — I  was  becoming 
delirious. 

In  the  morning  I  could  scarcely  rise  from  the  ground,  so 
utterly  weakened  and  exhausted  was  I  by  my  three  days1  fast 
ing,  anxiety,  and  fatigue.  I  have  heard  say  that  a  man  in  good 
health  can  live  nine  days  without  food.  It  may  be  so  in  a  room 
or  a  prison  ;  but  assure'dly  not  in  a  Texian  prairie.  I  am  quite 
certain  that  the  fifth  day  would  have  seen  the  last  of  me. 

I  should  never  have  been  able  to  mount  my  mustang,  but  he 
had  fortunately  lain  down,  so  I  got  into  the  saddle,  and  he  rose 
up  with  me  and  started  off  of  his  own  accord.  As  I  rode  along, 
the  strangest  visions  seemed  to  pass  before  me.  I  saw  the  most 
beautiful  cities  that  a  painter's  fancy  ever  conceived,  wifch  towers, 
cupolas,  and  columns,  the  summits  of  which  lost  themselves  in 
the  clouds — marble  basins  and  fountains  of  bright,  sparkling 
water — rivers  flowing  with  liquid  gold  and  silver — and  gardens 
in  which  the  trees  were  bowed  down  with  the  most  magnificent 
fruit — fruit  that  I  had  not  strength  enough  to  raise  my  hand  and 
pluck.  My  limbs  were  heavy  as  lead,  my  tongue,  lips  and  gums 


212 

dry  and  parched.  I  breathed  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  and 
within  me  was  a  burning  sensation,  as  if  I  had  swallowed  hot 
coals  ;  while  my  extremities,  both  hands  and  feet,  did  not  appear 
to  form  a  part  of  myself,  but  to  be  instruments  of  torture  affixed 
to  me,  and  causing  me  the  most  intense  suffering. 

I  have  a  confused  recollection  of  a  sort  of  rushing  noise,  the 
nature  of  which  I  was  unable  to  determine,  so. nearly  had  all 
consciousness  left  me  ;  then  of  finding  myself  amongst  trees,  the 
leaves  and  boughs  of  which  scratched  and  beat  against  my  face 
as  I  passed  through  them  ;  then  of  a  sudden  and  rapid  descent, 
with  the  broad,  bright  surface  of  a  river  below  me.  I  clutched 
at  a  branch,  but  my  fingers  had  no  strength  to  retain  their 
grasp— there  was  a  hissing,  splashing  noise,  and  the  waters  closed 
over  my  head. 

I  soon  rose,  and  endeavored  to  strike  out  with  my  arms  and 
legs,  but  in  vain  ;  I  was  too  weak  to  swim,  and  again  I  went 
down.  A  thousand  lights  seemed  to  dance  before  my  eyes  :  there 
•vvas  a  noise  in  my  brain  as  if  a  four-and- twenty  pounder  had  been 
fired  close  to  my  ear.  Just  then  a  hard  hand  was  wrung  in  to 
my  neckcloth,  and  I  felt  myself  dragged  out  of  tfce  water.  The 
next  instant  my  senses  left  me. 


213 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


A     DANGEROUS     DELIVERER. 

WHEN  I  recovered  from  my  state  of  insensiblity,  and  once  more 
•pened  my  eyes,  I  was  lying  on  the  bank  of  a  small  but  deep  river. 
My  horse  was  grazing  quietly  a  few  yards  off,  and  beside  me  stood 
a  man  with  folded  arms,  holding  a  wicker-covered  flask  in  his 
hand.  This  was  all  I  was  able  to  observe  ;  for  my  state  of  weak 
ness  prevented  me  from  getting  up  and  looking  around  me. 

"  Where  am  I  ?"  I  gasped. 

"  Where  are  you,  stranger  ?  By  the  Jacinto  ;  and  that  you  are 
by  it,  and  not  in  it,  is  no  fault  of  your'n,  I  reckon." 

There  was  something  harsh  and  repulsive  in  the  tone  and  man 
ner  in  which  these  words  were  spoken,  and  in  the  grating  scornful 
laugh  that  accompanied  them,  that  jarred  upon  my  nerves,  and 
inspired  me  with  a  feeling  of  aversion  towards  the  speaker.  I 
knew  that  he  was  my  deliverer  ;  that  he  had  saved  my  life,  when 
my  mustang,  raging  with  thirst,  had  sprung  head-foremost  into  the 
water  ;  that  without  him,  I  must  inevitably  have  been  drowned, 
even  had  the  river  been  less  deep  than  it  was ;  and  that  it  was  by 
his  care,  and  the  whisky  he  had  made  me  swallow,  and  of  which  J 
gtill  felt  the  flavor  on  my  tongue,  that  I  had  been  recovered  from 
the  death-like  swoon  into  which  I  had  fallen.  But  had  he  done 
ten  times  as  much  for  me,  I  could  not  have  repressed  the  repug 
nance,  the  inexplicable  dislike,  with  which  the  mere  tones  of  his 
voice  filled  me.  I  turned  my  head  away  in  order  not  *o  see  him. 
There  was  a  silence  of  some  moments'  duration. 


214 

"Don't  seem  as  if  my  company  was  over  and  above  agreeable," 
paid  the  man  at  last. 

"  Your  company  not  agreeable  ?  This  is  the  fourth  day  since  I 
paw  the  face  of  a  human  being.  During  that  time  not  a  bit  nor  a 
drop  has  passed  my  tongue." 

"  Hallo  !  that's  a  lie  !"  shouted  the  man,  with  another  strange, 
wild  laugh.  "  You  have  taken  a  mouthful  out  of  my  flask ;  not 
taken  it,  certainly,  but  it  went  over  your  tongue  all  the  same. 
Where  do  you  come  from  ?  The  beast  ain't  your'n." 

"  Mr.  Neal's,"  answered  I. 

"  See  it  is  by  the  brand.  Bat  what  brings  you  here  from  Mr. 
Neal's  ?  It's  a  good  seventy  mile  to  his  plantation,  right  across 
the  prairie.  Ain't  stole  the  horse,  have  you  ?" 

u  Lost  my  way — four  days — eaten  nothing." 

These  words  were  all  I  could  articulate.   I  was  too  weak  to  talk 

"  Four  days  without  eatin'  !"  cried  the  man,  with  a  laugh  like 
the  sharpening  of  a  saw,  "  and  that  in  a  Texas  prairie,  and  with 
islands  on  all  sides  of  you  !  Ha  !  I  see  how  it  is.  You're  a  gen 
tleman — that's  plain  enough.  I  was  a  sort  of  one  myself  once. 
You  thought  our  Texas  prairies  was  like  the  prairies  in  the  States. 
Ha,  ha !  And  so  you  didn't  know  how  to  help  yourself.  Did  you 
see  no  bees  in  the  air,  no  strawberries  on  the  earth  ?" 

"Bees?  Strawberries?"  repeated  I. 

"  Yes,  bees,  which  live  in  the  hollow  trees.  Out  of  twenty  trees 
there's  sure  to  be  one  full  of  honey.  So  you  saw  no  bees,  eh  ? 
Perhaps  you  don't  know  the  creturs  when  you  see  em?  Ain't 
altogether  so  big  as  wild  geese  or  turkies.  But  you  must  know 
what  strawberries  are,  and  that  they  don't  grow  upon  the  trees." 

All  this  was  spoken  in  the  same  sneering,  savage  manner  as 
before,  with  the  speaker's  head  half  turned  over  his  shoulder, 
while  his  features  were  distorted  into  a  contemptuous  grin. 

"  And  if  I  had  seen  the  bees,  how  was  I  to  get  at  the  honey, 
without  an  axe  ?" 

"  How  did  you  lose  yourself?" 

"  My  mustang — ran  away" — 

"  I  see.  And  you  after  him.  You'd  have  done  better  to  lei 
him  run  But  what  d'ye  mean  to  do  now  ?" 


215 

"  I  am  weak — sick  to  death.  I  wish  to  get  to  the  nearest  house 
— an  inn — anywhere  were  men  are." 

"Where  men  are,"  repeated  the  stranger,  with  his  scornful 
smile.  "  Where  men  are,"  he  muttered  again,  taking  a  few  steps 
on  one  side. 

I  was.  hardly  able  to  turn  my  head,  but  there  was  something 
Strange  in  the  man's  movement  that  alarmed  me ;  and,  making  a 
violent  effort,  I  changed  my  position  sufficiently  to  get  him  in 
sight  agaiu  He  had  drawn  a  long  knife  from  his  girdle,  which 
he  clutched  in  one  hand,  while  he  ran  the  fore-finger  of  the  other 
along  its  edge.  I  now  for  the  first  time  got  a  full  view  of  his 
face,  and  the  impression  it  made  upon  me  was  anything  but  favor 
able.  His  countenance  was  the  wildest  I  had  ever  seen ;  his  blood 
shot  eyes  rolled  like  balls  of  fire  in  their  sockets  ;  while  his  move 
ments  and  manner  were  indicative  of  a  violent  inward  struggle. 
He  did  not  stand  still  for  three  seconds  together,  but  paced  back 
wards  and  forwards  with  hurried,  irregular  steps,  casting  wild 
glances  over  his  shoulder,  his  fingers  playing  all  the  while  with  the 
knife,  with  the  rapid  and  objectless  movements  of  a  maniac. 

I  felt  convinced  that  I  was  the  cause  of  the  struggle  visibly 
going  on  within  him ;  that  my  life  or  death  was  what  he  was  deci 
ding  upon.  But  in  the  state  I  then  was,  death  had  no  terror  for 
me.  The  image  of  my  mother,  sisters,  and  father,  passed  before 
my  eyes.  I  gave  one  thought  to  my  peaceful,  happy  home,  and 
then  looked  upwards  and  prayed. 

The  man  had  walked  off  to  some  distance.  I  turned  myself  a 
little  more  round,  and,  as  I  did  so,  I  caught  sight  of  the  same 
magnificent  phenomenon  which  I  had  met  with  on  the  second  day 
of  my  wanderings.  The  colossal  live  oak  rose  in  all  its  silvery 
splendor,  at  the  distance  of  a  couple  of  miles.  Whilst  I  was  gazing 
at  it,  and  reflecting  on  the  strange  ill  luck  that  had  made  me  pass 
within  so  short  a  distance  of  the  river  without  finding  it,  I  saw 
my  new  acquaintance  approach  a  neighboring  cluster  of  trees, 
amongst  which  he  disappeared. 

After  a  short  time  I  again  perceived  him  coming  towards  me 
with  a  slow  and  staggering  stor>  As  he  drew  near,  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  examining  his  whole  appearance.  He  was  very 


216 

tall  and  lean,  but  large-boned,  and  apparently  of  great  strength. 
His  face,  which  had  not  been  shaved  for  several  weeks,  was  so 
tanned  by  sun  and  weather,  that  he  might  have  been  taken  for  an 
Indian,  had  not  the  beard  proved  his  claim  to  white  blood.  But 
his  eyes  were  what  most  struck  me.  There  was  something  so 
frightfully  wild  in  their  expression,  a  look  of  terror  and  despera 
tion,  like  that  of  a  man  whom  all  the  furies  of  hell  were  hunting 
and  persecuting.  His  hair  hung  in  long,  ragged  locks  over  his 
forehead,  cheeks,  and  neck,  and  round  his  head  was  bound  a  hand 
kerchief,  on  which  were  several  stains  of  a  brownish  black  color. 
Spots  of  the  same  kind  were  visible  upon  his  leathern  jacket, 
breeches,  and  moccasins ;  they  were  evidently  blood-stains.  His 
hunting  knife,  which  was  nearly  two  feet  long,  with  a  rude,  wooden 
handle,  was  now  replaced  in  his  girdle,  but  in  its  stead  he  held  a 
Kentucky  rifle  in  his  hand. 

Although.  I  did  my  utmost  to  assume  an  indifferent  counte 
nance,  my  features  doubtless  expressed  something  of  the  repug 
nance  and  horror  with  which  the  man  inspired  me.  He  looked 
loweringly  at  me  for  a  moment  from  under  his  shaggy  eye 
brows. 

"  You  don't  seem  to  like  the  company  you've  got  into,"  said  he. 
"  Do  I  look  so  very  desperate,  then  ?  Is  it  written  so  plainly  on 
my  face  ?" 

"  What  should  there  be  written  upon  your  face  ?" 

"  What  ?     What  ?     Fools  and  children  ask  them  questions." 

"  I  will  ask  you  none  ;  but  as  a  Christian,  as  my  countryman, 
I  beseech  you " 

"  Christian  !"  interrupted  he,  with  a  hollow  laugh.  "  Country 
man  !"  He  struck  the  butt  of  his  rifle  hard  upon  the  ground. 
"  That  is  my  countryman — my  only  friend  !"  he  continued,  as  he 
examined  the  flint  and  lock  of  his  weapon.  "  That  releases  from 
all  troubles ;  that's  a  true  friend.  Pooh !  perhaps  it'll  release  you 
too — put  you  to  rest." 

These  last  words  were  uttered  aside,  and  musingly. 

"  Put  him  to  rest,  as  well  as  Pooh  !  One  more  or  less— 
Perhaps  it  would  drive  away  that  cursed  spectre  !'' 

All  this  seemed  to  be  spoken  to  his  rifle. 


217 

u  Will  you  swear  not  to  betray  me  ?"  cried  he  to  me.  "  Else, 
one  touch " 

As  he  spoke,  he  brought  the  gun  to  his  shoulder,  the  muzzle 
pointed  full  at  my  breast. 

I  felt  no  fear.  I  am  sure  my  pulse  did  not  give  a  throb  the 
more  for  this  menace.  So  deadly  weak  and  helpless  as  I  lay,  it 
was  unnecessary  to  shoot  me.  The  slightest  blow  from  the  butt 
of  the  rifle  would  have  driven  the  last  faint  spark  of  life  out  of 
my  exhausted  body.  I  looked  calmly,  indifferently  even,  into 
the  muzzle  of  the  piece. 

"  If  you  can  answer  it  to  your  God,  to  your  and  my  Judge  and 
Creator,  do  your  will" 

My  words,  which  from  faintness  I  could  scarcely  render  audi 
ble,  had,  nevertheless,  a  sudden  and  startling  effect  upon  the  man. 
He  trembled  from  head  to  foot,  let  the  butt  of  his  gun  fall  heavily 
to  the  ground,  and  gazed  at  me  with  open  mouth  and  staring 
eyes. 

u  This  one,  too,  comes  with  his  God  !"  muttered  he.  "  God  ! 
and  your  and  my  Creator — and — Judge." 

He  seemed  hardly  able  to  articulate  these  words,  which  were 
uttered  by  gasps  and  efforts,  as  though  something  had  been 
choking  him. 

"  His  and  my— Judge  !" — groaned  he,  again.  "  Can  there  be 
a  God,  a  Creator  and  Judge  ?" 

As  he  stood  thus  muttering  to  himself,  his  eyes  suddenly 
became  fixed,  and  his  features  horribly  distorted. 

"Do  it  not !"  cried  he,  in  a  shrill  tone  of  horror,  that  rang 
through  my  head.  "  It  will  bring  no  blessin'  with  it.  I  am  a 
dead  man  !  God  be  merciful  to  me  !  My  poor  wife,  my  poor 
children !" 

The  rifle  fell  from  his  hands,  and  he  smote  his  breast  and  fore 
head  in  a  paroxysm  of  the  wildest  fury.  It  was  frightful  to 
behold  the  conscience-stricken  wretch,  stamping  madly  about,  and 
casting  glances  of  terror  behind,  as  though  demons  had  been 
hunting  him  down.  The  foam  flew  from  his  mouth,  and  I 
expected  each  moment  to  see  him  fall  to  the  ground  in  a  fit  of 
epilepsy.  Gradually,  however,  he  became  more  tranquil 

19 


218 

u  D'ye  see  no  thin'  in  my  face  ?"  said  he,  in  a  hoarse  whisper 
Buddenly  pausing  close  to  where  I  lay. 

"What  should  I  see?" 

He  came  yet  nearer. 

"  Look  well  at  me — through  me,  if  you  can.  D'ye  see  nothin' 
now?" 

"  I  see  nothing,"  replied  I. 

"  Ah  !  I  understand  ;  you  can  see  nothin'.  Ain't  in  a  spyin1 
humor,  I  calkilate.  No,  no,  that  you  ain't.  After  four  days  and 
nights  fastin',  one  loses  the  fancy  for  many  things.  I've  tried  it 
for  two  days  myself.  So  you  are  weak  and  faint,  eh  ?  But  I 
needn't  ask  that,  I  reckon.  You  look  bad  enough.  Take  another 
drop  of  whisky  ;  it'll  strengthen  you.  But  wait  till  I  mix  it." 

As  he  spoke,  he  stepped  down  to  the  edge  0f  the  river,  and 
scooping  up  the  water  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  filled  his  flask 
with  it.  Then  returning  to  me,  he  poured  a  little  into  my 
mouth. 

Even  the  bloodthirsty  Indian  appears  less  of  a  savage  when 
engaged  in  a  compassionate  act,  and  the  wild  desperado  I  hacl 
fallen  in  with,  seemed  softened  and  humanized  by  the  service  he 
was  rendering  me.  His  voice  sounded  less  harsh  ;  his  manner 
was  calmer  and  milder. 

"  You  wish  to  go  to  an  inn  ?" 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  yes.  These  four  days  I  have  tasted 
nothing  but  a  bit  of  tobacco." 

"  Can  you  spare  a  bit  of  that  ?" 

«  All  I  have." 

I  handed  him  my  cigar  case,  and  the  roll  of  dukissimus.  He 
snatched  the  latter  from  me,  and  bit  into  it  with  the  furious  eager 
ness  of  a  wolf. 

"  Ah,  the  right  sort  this !"  muttered  he  to  himself.  "  Ah, 
young  man,  or  old  man — you're  an  old  man,  ain't  you  ?  How 
old  are  you  ?" 

"  Two-and-twenty." 

He  shook  his  head,  doubtingly. 

"  Can  hardly  believe  that.  But  four  days  in  the  prairie,  and 
nothin'  to  eat.  Well,  it  may  be  so.  But,  stranger  if  I  had  had 


219 

this  bit  of  tobacco  only  ten  days  ago a  bit  of  tobacco  is  worth 

a  deal  sometimes.  It  might  have  saved  a  man's  life  !" 

Again  he  groaned,  and  his  accents  became  wild  and  unnatural. 

"  I  say,  stranger  !"  cried  he,  in  a  threatening  tone.  "  I  say  ! 
d'ye  see  yonder  live  oak  ?  D'ye  see  it  ?  It's  the  Patriarch,  and 
a  finer  and  mightier  one  you  won't  find  in  the  prairies,  I  reckon. 
D'ye  see  it  ? 

"  I  do  see  it." 

"  Ah  !  you  see  it,"  cried  he,  fiercely.  "  And  what  is  it  to  you  ? 
What  have  you  to  do  with  the  Patriarch,  or  with  what  lies  under 
it  ?  I  reckon  you  had  best  not  be  too  curious  that  way.  If  you 
dare  take  a  step  under  that  tree — "  He  swore  an  o&th  too  hor 
rible  to  be  repeated. 

"  There's  a  spectre  there,"  cried  he ;  "a  spectre  that  would 
fright  you  to  death.  Better  keep  away. 

*:  I  will  keep  away,"  replied  I.  "  I  never  thought  of  going  near 
it.  All  I  want  is  to  get  to  the  nearest  plantation  or  inn." 

"  Ah  !  true,  man — the  next  inn.  I'll  show  you  the  way  to  it. 
I  will." 

"  You  will  save  my  life  by  so  doing,"  said  I,  "  and  I  shall  be 
ever  grateful  to  you  as  my  deliverer." 

"  Deliverer,"  repeated  he,  with  a  wild  laugh.  "  Pooh  !  If  you 
knew  what  sort  of  a  deliverer — Pooh  !  What's  the  use  of  savin' 
a  life,  when — yet  I  will — I  will  save  yours  ;  perhaps  the  cursed 
spectre  will  leave  me  then.  Will  you  not  ?  Will  you  not  ?"  cried 
he,  suddenly  changing  his  scornful  mocking  tones  to  those  of 
entreaty  and  supplication,  and  turning  his  face  in  the  direction 
of  the  live  oak.  Again  his  wildness  of  manner  returned,  and  his 
eyes  became  fixed,  as  he  gazed  for  some  moments  at  the  gigantic 
tree.  Then  darting  away,  he  disappeared  among  the  trees, 
•whence  he  had  fetched  his  rifle,  and  presently  emerged  again, 
leading  a  ready  saddled  horse  with  him.  He  called  to  me  to 
mount  mine,  but  seeing  that  I  was  unable  even  to  rise  from  the 
ground,  he  stepped  up  to  me,  and  with  the  greatest  ease  lifted  me 
into  the  saddle  with  one  hand,  so  light  had  I  become  during  my 
long  fast.  Then  taking  the  end  of  my  lasso,  he  got  upon  his  own 
horse  and  set  off,  leading  my  mustang  after  him. 


220 

We  rode  on  for  some  time  without  exchanging  a  word.  My 
guide  kept  up  a  sort  of  muttered  soliloquy  ;  but  as  I  was  full  ten 
paces  in  his  rear,  I  could  distinguish  nothing  of  what  he  said  At 
times  he  would  raise  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  then  lower  it  again, 
and  speak  to  it,  sometimes  caressingly,  sometimes  in  anger. 
More  than  once  he  turned  his  head,  and  cast  keen,  searching 
glances  at  me,  as  though  to  see  whether  I  were  watching  him  or 
not. 

We  had  ridden  more  than  an  hour,  and  the  strength  which  the 
whisky  had  given  me  was  fast  failing,  so  that  I  expected  each 
moment  to  fall  from  my  horse,  when  suddenly  I  caught  sight  of 
a  kind  of  rude  hedge,  and  almost  immediately  afterwards  the  wall 
of  a  small  blockhouse  became  visible.  A  faint  cry  of  joy  escaped 
me,  and  I  endeavored,  but  in  vain,  to  give  my  horse  the  spur. 
My  guide  turned  round,  fixed  his  wild  eyes  upon  me,  and  spoke 
in  a  threatening  tone. 

"  You  are  impatient,  man  !  impatient,  I  see.  You  think  now, 
perhaps" 

"  I  am  dying,"  was  all  I  could  utter.  In  fact,  my  senses  were 
leaving  me  from  exhaustion,  and  I  really  thought  my  last  hour 
was  come. 

"  Pooh !  dyin  !'  One  don't  die  so  easy.  And  yet — d n  ! — 

it  might  be  true." 

He  sprang  off  his  horse,  and  was  just  in  time  to  catch  me  in  his 
arms  as  I  fell  from  the  saddle.  A  few  drops  of  whisky,  however, 
restored  me  to  consciousness.  My  guide  replaced  me  upon  my 
mustang,  and  after  passing  through  a  potato  ground,  a  field  of 
Indian  corn,  and  a  small  grove  of  peach-trees,  we  found  ourselvei 
it  the  door  of  the  blockhouse. 


221 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


THE     SELF-ACCUSED. 

I  WAS  so  utterly  helpless,  that  my  strange  companion  w«u 
obliged  to  lift  me  off  my  horse,  and  carry  me  into  the  dwelling. 
He  sat  me  down  upon  a  bench,  passive  and  powerless  as  an  infant. 
Strange  to  say,  however,  I  was  never  better  able  to  observe  all 
that  passed  around  me,  than  during  the  few  hours  of  bodily 
debility  that  succeeded  my  immersion  in  the  Jacinto.  A  blow 
with  a  reed  would  have  knocked  me  off  my  seat,  but  my  mental 
faculties,  instead  of  participating  in  this  weakness,  seemed  sharp 
ened  to  an  unusual  degree  of  acuteness. 

The  blockhouse  in  which  we  now  were,  was  of  the  poorest  pos 
sible  description  ;  a  mere  log  hut,  consisting  of  one  room,  that 
served  as  kitchen,  sitting-room,  and  bedchamber.  The  door  of 
rough  planks  swung  heavily  upon  two  hooks  that  fitted  into  iron 
rings,  and  formed  a  clumsy  substitute  for  hinges  5  a  wooden  latch 
and  heavy  bar  served  to  .secure  it ;  windows,  properly  speaking, 
there  were  none,  but  in  their  stead  a  few  holes  covered  with  dirty 
oiled  paper ;  the  floor  was  of  clay,  stamped  hard  and  dry  in  the 
middle  of  the  hut,  but  out  of  which,  at  the  sides  of  the  room,  a 
crop  of  rank  grass  was  growing,  a  foot  or  more  high.  In  one  corner 
stood  a  clumsy  bedstead,  in  another  a  sort  of  table  or  counter,  on 
which  were  half  a  dozen  drinking  glasses  of  various  sizes  and  pat 
terns.  The  table  consisted  of  four  thick  posts,  firmly  planted  in 
the  ground,  and  on  which  were  nailed  three  boards  that  had  appar 
ently  belonged  to  some  chest  or  case,  for  they  were  partly  painted 
and  there  was  a  date,  and  the  three  first  letters  of  a  word  upou 

19* 


222 

one  of  them.  A  shelf  fixed  against  the  side  of  the  hut  supported 
an  earthen  pot  or  two,  and  three  or  four  bottles,  uncorked,  and 
apparently  empty;  and  from  some  wooden  pegs  wedged  in  between 
the  logs,  hung  suspended  a  few  articles  of  wearing  apparel  of  no 
very  cleanly  aspect. 

Pacing  up  and  down  the  hut  with  a  kind  of  stealthy  cat-like 
pace,  was  an  individual,  whose  unprepossessing  exterior  was  in 
good  keeping  with  the  wretched  appearance  of  this  Texian  she 
been  house.  He  was  an  undersized,  stooping  figure,  red-haired, 
large  mouthed,  and  possessed  of  small  reddish,  pig's  eyes,  which 
he  seemed  totally  unable  to  raise  from  the  ground,  and  the  lower 
ing,  hang-dog  expression  of  which  corresponded  fully  with  the 
treacherous,  panther-like  stealthiness  of  his  step  and  movements. 
Without  greeting  us  either  by  word  or  look,  this  personage  dived 
into  a  dark  corner  of  his  tenement,  brought  out  a  full  bottle,  and 
placing  it  on  the  table  beside  the  glasses,  resumed  the  mono 
tonous  sort  of  exercise  in  which  he  had  been  indulging  on  our 
entrance. 

My  guide  and  deliverer  said  nothing  while  the  tavern-keeper 
was  getting  out  the  bottle,  although  he  seemed  to  watch  all  his 
movements  with  a  keen  and  suspicious  eye.  He  now  filled  a  large 
glass  of  spirits,  and  tossed  it  off  at  a  single  draught.  When  he 
had  done  this,  he  spoke  for  the  first  time. 

"Johnny!" 

Johnny  made  no  answer. 

"  This  gentleman  has  eaten  nothing  for  four  days." 

"  Indeed,"  replied  Johnny,  without  looking  up,  or  intermit 
ting  his  sneaking,  restless  walk  from  one  corner  of  the  room  to  the 
other. 

"  I  said  four  days,  d'ye  hear  ?  Four  days.  Bring  him  tea  im 
mediately,  strong  tea,  and  then  make  some  good  beef  soup.  The 
tea  must  be  ready  directly,  the  soup  in  an  hour  at  farthest,  d'ye 
understand  ?  And  then  I  want  some  whisky  for  myself,  and  a 
beafsteak  and  potatoes.  Now,  tell  all  that  to  your  Sambo." 

Johnny  did  not  seem  to  hear,  but  continued  his  walk,  creeping 
along  with  noiseless  step,  and  each  time  that  he  turned,  giving  a 
sort  of  spring  like  a  cat  or  a  panther. 


223 

u  I've  money,  Johnny,"  said  my  guide.  "  Money,  man,  d'ye 
hear  ?"  And  so  saying  he  produced  a  tolerably  full  purse. 

For  the  first  time,  Johnny  raised  his  head,  gave  an  indefinable 
eort  of  glance  at  the  purse,  and  then  springing  forward,  fixed  his 
small,  cunning  eyes  upon  those  of  my  guide,  while  a  smile  of 
strange  meaning  spread  over  his  repulsive  features. 

The  two  men  stood  for  the  space  of  a  minute,  staring  at  each 
other,  without  uttering  a  word.  An  infernal  grin  distended 
Johnny's  coarse  mouth  from  ear  to  ear.  My  guide  seemed  to  gasp 
for  breath. 

"  I've  money,"  cried  he  at  last,  striking  the  butt  of  his  rifle  vio 
lently  on  the  ground.  "  D'ye  understand,  Johnny  ?  Money ;  and 
a  rifle  too,  if  needs  be." 

He  stepped  to  the  table  and  filled  another  glass  of  raw  spirits, 
which  disappeared  like  the  preceding  one.  While  he  drank, 
Johnny  stole  out  of  the  room'  so  softly,  that  my  companion  was 
only  made  aware  of  his  departure  by  the  noise  of  the  wooden  latch 
He  then  came  up  to  me,  took  me  in  his  arms  without  saying  a 
word,  and  carrying  me  to  the  bed,  laid  me  gently  down  upon  it. 

"  You  make  yourself  at  home,"  snarled  Johnny,  who  just  then 
eame  in  again. 

"  Always  do  that,  I  reckon,  when  I'm  in  a  tavern,"  answered 
my  guide,  quietly  pouring  out  and  swallowing  another  glassful. 
"  The  gentleman  shall  have  your  bed  to-day.  You  and  Sambo 
may  sleep  in  the  pigsty.  You  have  none  though,  I  believe  ?" 

"  Bob  !"  screamed  Johnny,  furiously. 

"  That's  my  name— Bob  Rock." 

"  For  the  present,"  hissed  Johnny,  with  a  sneer. 

"  The  same  as  yours  is  Johnny  Down,"  replied  Bob  in  the  same 
tone.  "  Pooh  !  Johnny,  guess  we  know  one  another  ?" 

"  Rayther  calkiiate  we  do,"  replied  Johnny,  through  his 
teeth. 

"  And  have  done  many  a  day,"  laughed  Bob. 

u  You're  the  famous  Bob  from  Sodoma  in  Georgia  ?" 

"  Sodoma  iri  Alabama,  Johnny.  Sodoma  lies  in  Alabama,"  said 
Bob,  filling  another  glass.  "  Don't  you  know  that  yet,  you  who 
were  above  a  year  in  Columbus,  doin'  all  sorts  of  dirty  work  ?" 


224 

"  Better  hold  your  tongue,  Bob,"  said  Johnny,  with  a  danger 
ous  look  at  me. 

"  Pooh  !  Don't  mind  him ;  he  won't  talk,  I'll  answer  for  it 
He's  lost  the  taste  for  chatterin'  in  the  Jacinto  prairie.  But 
Sodoma,"  continued  Bob,  "  is  in  Alabama,  man  !  Columbus  in 
Georgia  !  They  are  parted  by  the  Chatahoochie.  Ah  !  that  was 
a  jolly  life  we  led  on  the  Chatahoochie.  But  nothin'  lasts  in  this 
world,  as  my  old  schoolmaster  used  to  say.  Pooh  !  They've  druv 
the  Injuns  a  step  further  over  the  Mississippi  now.  But  it  was  a 
glorious  life — warn't  it  ?" 

Again  he  filled  his  glass  and  drank. 

The  information  I  gathered  from  this  conversation  as  to  the 
previous  life  and  habits  of  these  two  men,  had  nothing  in  it  very 
satisfactory  or  reassuring  for  me,  In  the  whole  of  the  south-wes 
tern  states  there  was  no  place  that  could  boast  of  being  the  resort 
of  so  many  outlaws  and  bad  characters  as  the  town  of  Sodoma.  It 
is  situated,  or  was  situated,  at  least,  a  few  years  previously  to  the 
time  I  speak  of,  in  Alabama,  on  Indian  ground,  and  was  the  har 
bor  of  refuge  for  all  the  murderers  and  outcasts  from  the  western 
and  south-western  parts  of  the  Union.  Here,  under  Indian 
government,  they  found  shelter  and  security ;  and  frightful  were 
the  crimes  and  cruelties  perpetrated  at  this  place.  Scarcely  a  day 
passed  without  an  assassination,  not  secretly  committed,  but  in 
broad  sunlight.  Bands  of  these  wretches,  armed  with  knives  and 
rifles,  used  to  cross  the  Chatahoochie,  and  make  inroads  into 
Columbus  ;  break  into  houses,  rob,  murder,  ill-treat  women,  and 
then  return  in  triumph  to  their  dens,  laden  with  booty,  and  laugh- 
ing  at  the  laws.  It  was  useless  to  think  of  pursuing  them,  or  of 
obtaining  justice,  for  they  were  on  Indian  territory  ;  and  many  of 
the  chiefs  were  in  league  with  them.  At  length  General  Jackson 
and  the  government  took  it  up.  The  Indians  were  driven  over 
the  Mississippi,  the  outlaws  and  murderers  fled,  Sodoma  itself 
disappeared  ;  and,  released  from  its  troublesome  neighbors,  Coluro^ 
bus  is  now  in  as  flourishing  a  state  as  any  place  in  the  west. 

The  recollections  of  their  former  life  and  exploits  seemed  highly 
interesting  to  the  two  comrades  j  and  their  communications 
became  more  and  more  confidential.  Johnny  filled  himself  a  glass, 


225 

and  the  conversation  soon  increased  in  animation.  I  could  under 
stand  little  of  what  they  said,  for  they  spoke  a  sort  of  thieves'  jar 
gon.  After  a  time,  their  voices  sounded  as  a  confused  hum  in  my 
ears,  the  objects  in  the  room  became  gradually  less  distinct,  and 
I  fell  asleep, 

I  was  roused,  not  very  gently,  by  a  mulatto  woman,  who  poured 
a  spoonful  of  tea  into  my  mouth  before  1  had  well  opened  my  eyes. 
She  at  first  did  not  appear  to  be  attending  to  me  with  any  great 
degree  of  good-will ;  but  by  the  time  she  had  given  me  half  a 
dozen  spoonsful  her  womanly  sympathies  began  to  be  awakened, 
and  her  manner  became  kinder.  The  tea  did  me  an  infinite  deal 
of  good,  and  seemed  to  infuse  new  life  into  my  veins.  I  finished 
the  cup,  and  the  mulatto  laid  me  down  again  on  my  pillow  with 
far  more  gentleness  than  she  had  lifted  me  up. 

"Gor!  Gror!"  cried  she,  "  what  poor  young  man  !  Berry  weak. 
Him  soon  better.  One  hour,  massa,  good  soup." 

"  Soup  !     What  do  you  want  with  soup  ?"  grumbled  Johnny. 

"  Him  take  soup.     I  cook  it,"  screamed  the  woman. 

"  Worse  for  you  if  she  don't,  Johnny,"  said  Bob. 

Johnny  muttered  something  in  reply,  but  I  did  not  distinguish 
what  it  was,  for  my  eyes  closed,  and  I  again  fell  asleep. 

It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  had  not  been  five  minutes  slumbering 
when  the  mulatto  returned  with  the  soup.  The  tea  had  revived 
me,  but  this  gave  me  strength  ;  and  when  I  had  taken  it  I  was 
able  to  sit  up  in  my  bed. 

While  the  woman  was  feeding  me,  Bob  was  eating  his  beefsteak. 
It  was  a  piece  of  meat  that  might  have  sufficed  for  six  persons, 
but  the  man  seemed  as  hungry  as  if  he  had  eaten  nothing  for 
three  days.  He  cut  off  wedges  half  as  big  as  his  fist,  swallowed 
them  with  ravenous  eagerness,  and,  instead  of  bread,  bit  into 
some  unpeeled  potatoes.  All  this  was  washed  down  with  glass 
after  glass  of  raw  spirits,  which  had  the  effect  of  wakening  him  up, 
and  infusing  a  certain  degree  of  cheerfulness  into  his  strange 
humor.  He  still  spoke  more  to  himself  than  to  Johnny,  but  hia 
recollections  seemed  agreeable ;  he  nodded  self-approvingly,  and 
iometimes  laughed  aloud.  At  last  he  began  to  abuse  Johnny  for 


226 

being,  as  he  said,  such  a  sneaking,  cowardly  fellow — such  a  treach 
erous,  false-hearted  gallows-bird. 

"  It's  true,"  said  he,  "  I  am  gallows-bird  enough  myself,  but 
then  J'm  open,  and  no  man  can  say  I'm  a-fear'd ;  but 'johnny, 
Johnny,  who " 

"  I  do  not  know  what  he  was  about  to  say,  for  Johnny  sprang 
towards  him,  and  placed  botli  hands  over  his  mouth,  receiving  in 
return  a  blow  that  knocked  him  as  far  as  the  door,  through  which 
he  retreated,  cursing  and  grumbling. 

I  soon  fell  asleep  again,  and  whilst  in  that  state  I  had  a  con 
fused  sort  of  consciousness  of  various  noises  in  the  room,  loud 
words,  blows,  and  shouting.  Wearied  as  I  was,  however,  I  believe 
no  noise  would  have  fully  roused  me,  although  hunger  at  last  did. 

When  I  opened  my  eyes  I  saw  the  mulatto  woman  sitting  by 
my  bed,  and  keeping  off  the  mosquitoes.  She  brought  me  the 
remainder  of  the  soup,  and  promised,  if  I  would  sleep  a  couple  of 
hours  more,  to  bring  me  a  beefsteak.  Before  the  two  hours  had 
elapsed  I  awoke,  hungrier  than  ever.  After  I  had  eaten  all  the 
beefsteak  the  woman  would  allow  me,  which  was  a  very  moderate 
quantity,  she  brought  me  a  beer-glass  full  of  the  most  delicious 
punch  I  ever  tasted.  I  asked  her  where  she  had  got  the  rum  and 
lemons,  and  she  told  me  that  it  was  slie  who  had  bought  them,  as 
well  as  a  stock  of  coffee  and  tea  ;  that  Johnny  was  her  partner, 
but  that  he  had  done  nothing  but  build  the  house,  and  badly  built 
it  was.  She  then  began  to  abuse  Johnny*  and  said  he  was  a  gam 
bler  ;  and,  worse  still,  that  he  had  had  plenty  of  money  once,  but 
had  lost  all ;  that  she  had  first  known  him  in  Lower  Natchez,  but 
he  had  been  obliged  to  run  away  from  there  in  the  night  to  save 
his  neck.  Bob  was  no  better,  she  said ;  on  the  contrary — and  here 
she  made  the  gesture  of  cutting  a  man's  throat — he  was  a  very  bad 
fellow,  she  added.  He  had  got  drunk  after  his  dinner,  knocked 
Johnny  down,  and  broken  everything.  He  was  now  lying  asleep 
outside  the  door ;  and  Johnny  had  hidden  himself  somewhere. 

How  long  she  continued  speaking  I  know  not,  for  I  again  fell 
into  a  deep  sleep,'  which  this  time  lasted  six  or  seven  hours. 

I  was  awakened  by  a  strong  grasp  laid  upon  my  arm,  which 


227 

made  me  cry  out,  more,  however,  from  surprise  than  pain.  Bob 
stood  by  my  bedside  ;  the  traces  of  the  preceding  night's  debauch 
plainly  written  on  his  countenance.  His  bloodshot  eyes  were 
inflamed  arid  swollen,  and  rolled  with  even  more  than  their  usual 
wildness  :  his  mouth  was  open,  and  the  jaws  stiff  and  fixed ;  he 
looked  as.  if  he  had  just  come  from  committing  some  frightful 
deed.  I  could  fancy  the  first  murderer  to  have  worn  such  an 
aspect  when  gazing  on  the  body  of  his  slaughtered  brother.  J 
shrank  back,  horror-struck  at  his  appearance. 

"  In  God's  name,  man,  what  do  you  want  ?" 

He  made  no  answer. 

"  You  are  in  a  fever.     You've  the  ague  !" 

*"  Ay,  a  fever,"  groaned  he,  shivering  as  he  spoke ;  "  a  fever,  but 
not  the  one  you  mean  ;  a  fever,  young  man,  such  as  God  keep  you 
from  ever  having." 

His  whole  frame  shuddered  while  he  uttered  these  words. 
There  was  a  short  pause. 

"  Curious  that,"  continued  he  ;  "  I've  served  more  than  one  in 
the  same  way,  but  never  thought  of  it  afterwards — was  forgotten 
in  less  than  no  time.  Got  to  pay  the  whole  score  at  once,  I  sup 
pose.  In  the  open  prairie  it's  the  worst ;  there  stands  the  old 
man  so  plain,  with  his  silver  beard,  and  the  spectre  just  behind 
him." 

His  eyes  rolled,  he  clenched  his  fists,  and,  striking  his  forehead 
furiously,  rushed  out  of  the  hut. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  returned,  apparently  more  composed,  and 
walked  straight  up  to  my  bed. 

"  Stranger,  you  must  do  me  a  service,"  said  he  abruptly. 

u  Ten  rather  than  one,"  replied  I ;  "  anything  that  is  in  my 
power.  Do  I  not  owe  you  my  life  ?" 

"  You  are  a  gentleman,  I  see,  and  a  Christian.  You  must  come 
with  me  to  the  squire — the  Alcalde." 

"  To  the  Alcalde,  man  !     What  must  I  go  there  for  ?" 

"  You'll  see  and  hear  when  you  get  there  ;  I've  something  to 
itell  him — something  for  his  own  ear." 

He  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  remained  silent  for  a  short  time 
gazing  anxiously  on  all  sides  of  him 


228 

"  Something,"  whispered  he,  "  that  nobody  else  must  hear." 

"  But  there's  Johnny,  there— why  not  take  him  ?" 

"  Johnny  !"  cried  he,  with  a  scornful  laugh  ;  "  Johnny  !  who's 
ten  times  worse  than  I  am,  bad  as  I  be ! — and  bad  I  am,  to  be 
gure,  but  yet  open  and  above  board,  always,  till  this  time  ;  but 
Johnny  !  he'd  sell  his  own  mother.  He's  a  cowardly,  sneakin', 
treacherous  hound,  is  Johnny." 

It  was  unnecessary  to  tell  me  this,  for  Johnny's  character  was 
written  plainly  enough  upon  his  countenance. 
/M  But  why  do  you  want  me  to  go  to  the  Alcalde  ?" 

"  Why  does  one  want  people  before  the  judge  ?  He's  a  judge, 
man — a  Mexican  one,  certainly,  but  chosen  by  us  Americans ; 
and  an  American  himself,  as  you  and  I  are." 

"  And  how  soon  must  I  go  ?" 

"  Directly.  I  can't  bear  it  any  longer.  It  leaves  me  no  peace. 
Not  an  hour's  rest  have  I  had  for  the  last  eight  days.  When  1 
get  out  into  the  prairie,  the  spectre  stands  before  me  and  beck 
ons  me  on ;  and  if  I  try  to  go  another  way,  he  comes  behind  me 
and  drives  me  before  him  under  the  Patriarch.  I  see  him  just 
as  plainly  as  when  he  was  alive,  only  paler  and  sadder.  It  seems 
as  if  I  could  touch  him  with  my  hand.  Even  the  bottle  is  no 
use  now ;  neither  rum,  nor  whisky,  nor  brandy,  rid  me  of  him ; 
it  don't,  by  the  'tarnel.  Curious,  that !  I  got  drunk  yesterday- 
thought  to  get  rid  of  him  ;  but  he  came  in  the  night  and  drove 
aae  out.  I  was  obliged  to  go.  Wouldn't  let  me  sleep  ;  was  forced 
to  go  under  the  Patriarch." 

"  Under  the  Patriarch  ?  the  live  oak  ?"  cried  I,  in  astonish 
ment.  c'  Were  you  there  in  the  night  ?" 

Vk  Ay,  that  was  I,"  replied  he.  in  the  same  horribly  confidential 
tone  ;  and  the  spirit  threatened  me,  and  said,  ( I  will  leave  you 
no  peace,  Bob,  till  you  go  to  the  Alcalde  and  tell  him '  " 

"  Then  I  will  go  with  you  to  the  Alcalde,  and  that  immedi 
ately,"  said  I,  raising  myself  up  in  bed.  I  could  not  help  pitying 
the  poor  fellow  from  my  very  soul. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?"  croaked  Johnny,  who  at  this  moment 
glided  into  the  room.  "Not  a  step  shall  you  stir  till  you've 
paid  " 


tt  Johnny/1  said  Bob,  seizing  his  less  powerful  companion  by 
the  shoulders,  lifting  him  up  like  a  child,  and  then  setting  him 
down  again  with  such  force,  that  his  knees  cracked  and  bent 
under  him  : — "  Johnny,  this  gentleman  is  my  guest,  d'ye  under 
stand  ?  And  here  is  the  reckoning  and  mind  yourself,  Johnny- 
mind  yourself,  that's  all." 

Johnny  crept  into  a  corner  like  a  flogged  hound ;  the  mulatto 
woman,  however,  did  not  seem  disposed  to  be  so  easily  intimi 
dated.  Sticking  her  arms  in  her  sides,  she  waddled  boldly  for 
ward. 

"  You  not  take  him  'way,  Massa  Bob  ?"  screamed  she.  "  Him 
stop  here.  Him  berry  weak — not  able  for  ride — not  able  for 
stand  on  him  foot." 

This  was  true  enough.  Strong  as  I  had  felt  in  bed,  I  could 
hardly  stand  upright  when  I  got  out  of  it. 

For  a  moment  Bob  seemed  undecided,  but  only  for  one  mo 
ment  ;  then,  stepping  up  to  the  mulatto,  he  lifted  her,  fat  and 
heavy  as  she  was,  in  the  same  manner  as  he  had  done  her  part 
ner,  at  least  a  foot  from  the  ground,  and  carried  her  screaming 
and  struggling  to  the  door,  which  he  kicked  open.  Then  setting 
her  down  outside,  "  Silence  !"  roared  he,  "  and  some  good  strong 
tea  instead  of  your  cursed  chatter,  and  a  fresh  beefsteak  instead 
of  your  stinking  carcass.  That  will  strengthen  the  gentleman  ; 
so  be  quick  about  it,  you  old  brown-skinned  beast,  you  !" 

I  had  slept  in  my  clothes,  and  my  toilet  was  consequently  soon 
made,  by  the  help  of  a  bowl  of  water  and  towel,  which  Bob  made 
Johnny  bring,  and  then  ordered  him  to  go  and  get  our  horses 
ready. 

A  hearty  breakfast  of  tea,  butter,  Indian  corn  bread,  and 
steaks,  increased  my  strength  so  much,  that  I  was  able  to  mount 
my  mustang.  I  had  still  pains  in  all  my  limbs,  but  we  rode 
slowly ;  the  morning  was  bright,  the  air  fresh  and  elastic,  and 
I  felt  myself  getting  gradually  better.  Our  path  led  through  the 
prairie — the  river  fringed  with  wood  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
vast  ocean  of  grass,  sprinkled  with  innumerable  islands  of  trees, 
on  the  other.  We  saw  abundance  of  game,  which  sprang  up  under 
the  very  feet  of  our  horses ;  but  although  Bob  had  his  rifle,  he 

20 


230 

made  no  use  of  it.  He  muttered  continually  to  himself,  anu 
seemed  to  be  arranging  what  he  should  say  to  the  judge ;  for  I 
heard  him  talking  of  things  which  I  would  just  as  soon  not  have 
listened  to,  if  I  could  have  helped  it.  I  was  heartily  glad  when  we 
at  length  reached  the  plantation  of  the  Alcalde. 

It  seemed  a  very  considerable  one,  and  the  size  and  appearance 
of  the  framework  house  bespoke  comfort  and  every  luxury.  The 
building  was  surrounded  by  a  group  of  China  trees,  which  I  should 
have  thought  about  ten  years  of  age,  but  which  I  afterwards 
learned  had  not  been  planted  half  that  time,  although  they  were 
already  large  enough  to  afford  a  very  agreeable  shade.  Right  in 
front  of  the  house  rose  a  live  oak,  inferior  in  size  to  the  one  in  the 
prairie,  but  still  of  immense  age  and  great  beauty.  To  the  left 
were  some  two  hundred  acres  of  cotton  fields,  extending  to  the 
bank  of  the  Jacinto,  which  at  this  spot  made  a  sharp  turn,  and 
winding  round  the  plantation,  enclosed  it  on  three  sides.  Before 
the  house  lay  the  prairie,  with  its  archipelago  of  islands,  and  herds 
of  grazing  cattle  and  mustangs  ;  to  the  right,  mose  cotton  fields  ; 
and  in  rear  of  the  dwelling,  the  negro  cottages  and  out-buildings. 
There,  was  a  Sabbath-like  stillness  pervading  the  whole  scene, 
which  seemed  to  strike  even  Bob.  He  paused,  as  though  in  deep 
thought,  and  allowed  his  hand  to  rest  for  a  moment  on  the  handle 
of  the  lattice  door.  Then  with  a  sudden  and  resolute  jerk, 
bespeaking  an  equally  sudden  resolution,  he  pushed  open  the  gate, 
and  we  entered  a  garden  planted  with  orange,  banana,  and  citron 
trees,  the  path  through  which  was.  enclosed  between  palisades,  and 
led  to  a  sort  of  front  court,  with  another  lattice,-work  door,  beside 
which  hung  a  bell.  Upon  ringing  this,  a  negro  appeared. 

The  black  seemed  to  know  Bob  very  well,  for  he  nodded  to  him 
as  to  an^  old  acquaintance,  and  said  the  squire  wanted  him,  and 
had  asked  after  him  several  times.  He  then  led  the  way  to  a 
large  parlor,  very  handsomely  furnished  for  Texas,  and  in  which 
we  found  the  squire,  or  more  properly  speaking,  the  Alcalde,  sit 
ting  smoking  his  cigar.  He  had  just  breakfasted,  and  the  plates 
and  dishes  were  still  upon  the  table.  He  did  not  appear  to  be 
much  given  to  compliments  or  ceremony,  or  to  partake  at  all  of 
the  general  failing  of  curiosity,  for  he  answered  our  salutation 


231 

with  a  laconic  "  good  morning,"  and  scarcely  even  looked  at  us 
At  the  very  first  glance,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  he  came  from  Ten- 
nessee  or  Virginia,  the  only  provinces  in  which  one  finds  men  of 
his  gigantic  mould.  Even  sitting,  his  head  rose  above  those  of 
the  negro  servants  in  waiting.  Nor  was  his  height  alone  remark 
able;  he  had  the  true  West- Virginian. build-;  the  enormous  chest 
and  shoulders,  and  herculean  limbs,  the  massive  features  and  sharp 
grey  eyes ;  altogether  an  exterior  well  calculated  to  impose  on  the 
rough  backwoodsmen  with  whom  he  had  to  deal. 

I  was  tired  with  my.  ride,  and  took  a  chair.  The  squire  appar 
ently  did  not  deem  me  worthy  of  notice,  or  else  he  reserved  me 
for  a  later  scrutiny ;  but  he  fixed  a  long,  searching  look  upon  Bob, 
who  remained  standing,  with  his  head  sunk  on  his  breast. 

The  judge  at  last  broke  silence. 

"  So  here  you  are  again.  Bob.  It's  long  since  we  have  seen  you, 
and  I  thought  you  had  clean  forgotten  us.  Well,  Bob,  we 
shouldn't  have  broke  our  hearts,  I  reckon  ;  for  I  hate  gamblers— 
ay,  that  I  do — worse  than  skunks.  It's  a  vile  thing  is  play,  and 
has  ruined  many  a  man  in  this  world,  and"  the  next.  It's  ruined 
you,  too,  Bob." 

Bob  said  nothing. 

"  You'd  have  been  mighty  useful  here  last  week ;  there  was 
pienty  for  you  to  do.  My  step-daughter  arrived ;  but  as  you 
weren't  to  be  found,  we  had  to  send  to  Joel  to  shoot  us  a 
buck  and  a  couple  of  dozen  snipes.  Ah,  Bob !  one  might  still 
make  a  good  citizen  of  ^ou,  if  you'd  only  leave  off  that  cursed 
flay!" 

Bob  still  remained  silent. 

"  Now  go  into  the  kitchen  and  get  some  breakfast." 

Bob  neither  answered  nor  moved. 

"  D  ye  hear  ?  Go  into  the  kitchen  and  get  something  to  eat. 
And,  Ptoly,"  added  he  to  the  negro — "  tell  Veny  to  give  him  a 
pint  of  rum." 

"  Don't  want  yer  rum — ain't  thirsty,"  growled  Bob. 

K  Very  like,  very  like/'  said  the  judge  sharply.  "  Reckon  you've 
taken  too  muc'h  already.  Look  as  if  you  could  swallow  a  wild  cat, 
claws  and  fill.  \nd  vou,"  addad  he,  tuning  to  me,  "  whai  the 


232 

devil  are  you  at,  Ptoly  ?     Don't  you  see  the  man  wants  his  break 
fast?     Where's  the  coffee?    Or  would  you  rather  have  tea?" 

"  Thank  you,  Alcalde,  I  have  breakfasted  already." 

"  Don't  look  as  if.  Ain't  sick,  are  you?  Where  do  you  come 
from?  What's  happened  to  you?  What  are  you  doing  with 
Bob. 

He  looked  keenly  and  searchingly  at  me,  and  then  again  at 
Bob.  My  appearance  was  certainly  not  very  prepossessing, 
unshaven  as  I  was,  and  with  my  clothes  and  linen  soiled  and  torn. 
He  was  evidently  considering  what  could  be  the  motive  of  our 
visit,  and  what  had  brought  me  into  Bob's  society.  The  result  of 
his  physiognomical  observations  did  not  appear  very  favorable 
either  to  me  or  my  companion.  I  hastened  to  explain. 

"  You  shall  hear  how  it  was,  judge.  I  am  indebted  to  Bob  for 
my  life." 

"  Your  life  !  Indebted  to  Bob  for  your  life  !"  repeated  the 
iudge,  shaking  his  head  incredulously. 

I  related  how  I  had  lost  my  way  in  the  prairie  ;  been  carried 
into  the  Jacinto  by  my  horse  ;  and  how  I  should  inevitably  have 
been  drowned,  but  for  Bob's  aid. 

"  Indeed  !"  said  the  judge,  when  I  had  done  speaking.  "  So, 
Bob  saved  your  life  !  Well,  I  am  glad  of  it.  Ah !  if  you  could 
only  keep  away  from  that  Johnny.  I  tell  you,  Bob,  Johnny  will 
be  the  ruin  of  you.  Better  keep  out  of  hi?  way." 

"  It's  too  late,"  answered  Bob. 

"Don't  know  why  it  -should  be.  N*ver  too  late  to  leave  a 
debauched,  sinful  life  ;  never,  man  !" 

"  Calkilate  it  is,  though,"  replied  Bob,  sullenly. 

"  You  calculate  it  is  ?"  said  the  judge,  fixing  his  eyes  on  him. 
'•  And  why  do  you  calculate  that  ?  Take  a  glass — Ptoly,  a  glass 
— and  tell  me,  man,  why  should  it  be  too  late  ?" 

"  I  ain't  thirsty,  squire,"  said  Bob. 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  of  your  thirst ;  rum's  not  for  thirst,  but  to 
utrengthen  the  heart  and  nerves,  to  drive  away  the  blue  devils. 
And  a  good  thing  it  is,  taken  in  moderation." 

As  he  spoke  he  filled  himself  a  glass,  and  drank  half  of  it  ofE 
Bob  shook  his  bead. 


233 

"  No  rum  for  me,  squire.  I  take  no  pleasure  in  it.  I've  gom^ 
thing  on  my  mind  too  heavy  for  rum  to  wash  away." 

«  And  what  is  that,  Bob?  Come,  let's  hear  what  you've  got  to 
say.  Or,  perhaps,  you'd  rather  speak  to  me  alone.  It's  Sunday 
to-day,  and  no  business  ought  to  be  done  ;  but  for  once,  and  for 
you,  we'll  make  an  exception." 

"  I  brought  the  gentleman  with  me  on  purpose  to  witness  what 
I  had  to  say,"  answered  Bob,  taking  a  cigar  out  of  a  box  that  stood 
on  the  table,  and  lighting  it.  He  smoked  a  whiff  or  two,  looked 
thoughtfully  at  the  judge,  and  then  threw  the  cigar  through  the 
open  window. 

"  It  don't  relish,  squire ;  nothin'  does  now." 

"  Ah,  Bob  !  if  you'd  leave  off  play  and  drink  !  They're  your 
ruin  :  worse  than  ague  or  fever." 

"  It's  no  use,"  continued  Bob,  as  if  he  did  not  hear  the  judge's 
remark  ;  "  it  must  out.  I  fo't  agin  it,  and  tried  to  drive  it  away, 
but  it  can't  be  done.  I've  put  a  bit  of  lead  into  several  before 
now,  but  this  one " 

"  What's  that  ?"  cried  the  judge,  chucking  his  cigar  away,  and 
looking  sternly  at  Bob.  "  What's  up  now  ?  What  are  you  say- 
ng  about  a  bit  of  lead?  None  of  your,Sodoma  and  Lower 
Natchez  tricks,  I  hope  ?  They  won't  do  here.  Don't  understand 
such  jokes." 

"  Pooh  !  they  don't  understand  them  a  bit  more  in  Natchez. 
If  they  did,  I  shouldn't  be  in  Texas." 

"  The  less  said  of  that  the  better,  Bob.  You  promised  to  lead 
a  new  life  here  ;  so  we  won't  rake  up  old  stories." 

"  I  did,  I  did  !"  groaned  Bob  ;  "  but  it's  all  no  use.  I  shall 
never  be  better  till  I'm  hung." 

I  stared  at  the  man  in  astonishment.  The  judge,  however,  took 
another  cigar,  lighted  it,  and  after  puffing  out  a  cloud  of  smoke, 
said,  very  unconcernedly — 

"  Not  better  till  you  are  hung  !  What  do  you  want  to  be  hung 
for  ?  To  be  sure,  you  should  have  been  long  ago,  if  the  Georgia 
and  Alabama  papers  don't  lie.  But  we  are  not  in  the  States 
here,  but  in  Texas,  under  Mexican  laws.  It's  nothing  to  us  what 

20* 


234 

you've  done  yonder.     Where  there  is  no  accuser  there  can  be  no 
judge." 

"  Send  away  the  nigger,  squire,"  said  Bob.  "  What  a  free  white 
man  has  to  say,  shouldn't  be  heard  by  black  ears." 

"  Go  away,  Ptoly,"  said  the  judge.  "  Now.  then,"  added  ho 
turning  to  Bob,  "  say  what  you  have  to  say ;  but  mind,  nobody 
forces  you  to  do  it,  and  it's  only  out  of  good  will  that  I  listen  to 
you,  for  to-day's  Sunday." 

"I  know  that,"  muttered  Bob;  "I  know  that,  squire;  but  it 
leaves  me  no  peace,  and  it  must  out.  I've  been  to  San  Felipe  de 
Austin,  to  Anahuac,  everywhere,  but  it's  all  no  use.  Wherever 
I  go,  the  spectre  follows  me,  and  drives  me  back  under  the  cursed 
Patriarch." 

"  Under  the  Patriarch  !"  exclaimed  the  judge. 

"  Ay,  under  the  Patriarch  !"  groaned  Bob.  "  Don't  you  know 
the  Patriarch  ;  the  old  live  oak  near  the  ford,  on  the  Jacinto  ?" 

"  I  know,  I  know  !"  answered  the  judge.  "  And  what  drives 
yon  under  the  Patriarch  ?" 

"  Who  drives  me  ?     What  drives  a  man  who— who " 

"  A  man  who— — "  repeated  the  judge,  gently. 

"  A  man,"  continued  Bob,  in  the  same  low  tone, "  who  has  sent 
a  rifle  bullet  into  another's  heart.  He  lies  there,  under  the  Patri 
arch,  whom  I " 

"  Whom  you  ?"  asked  the  judge. 

"  Whom  I  killed  /"  said  Bob,  in  a  hollow  whisper. 

"  Killed  !"  exclaimed  the  judge.     "  You  killed  him.    Whom  ?" 

"  Ah  !  whom  ?  Why  don't  you  let  be  speak  ?  You  always  in 
terrupt  me  with  your  palaver,"  growled  Bob. 

"  You  are  getting  saucy,  Bob,"  said  the  judge,  impatiently. 
"  Go  on,  however.  I  reckon  it's  only  one  of  your  usual  tantrums." 

Bob  shook  his  head.  The  judge  looked  keenly  at  him  for  a 
moment,  and  then  resumed  in  a  sort  of  confidential,  encouraging 
tone. 

"  Under  the  Patriarch  ;  and  how  did  he  come  under  the  Patri 
arch  ?" 

u  I  dragged  him  there,  and  buried  him  there,"  replied  Bob, 


S85      . 

c  Dragged  him  there  !    Why  did  you  drag  him  there  V 

(i  Because  he  couldn't  go  himself,  with  more  than  half  an  ounot 
•f  lead  in  his  body." 

"  And  you  put  the  half  ounce  of  lead  into  him,  Bob  ?  Well, 
if  it  was  Johnny,  you've  done  the  country  a  service,  and  saved  it 
a  rope." 

Bob  shook  his  head  negatively. 

"  It  wasn't  Johnny,  although But  you  shall  hear  all  about 

it.  It's  just  ten  days  since  you  paid  me  twenty  dollars  fifty." 

"  I  did  so,  Bob ;  twenty  dollars  fifty  cents  ;  and  I  advised  you 
at  the  same  time  to  let  the  money  lie  till  you  had  a  couple  of  hun« 
dred  dollars,  or  enough  to  buy  a  quarter  or  an  eighth  of  Sitic 
land  ;  but  advice  is  thrown  away  upon  you.11 


286 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
.THE  GAMBLER'S  STORY — THE  MURDER. 

BOB  having  taken  a  long  draught  of  water — a  beverage  some 
what  new  to  his  palate — commenced  the  narration  of  his  own 
crimes  as  follows  : — 

•'  Well,  squire,  when  I  got  the  money  I  thought  I'd  go  down 
to  San  Felipe,  to  the  Mexicans,  and  try  my  luck ;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  to  see  the  doctor  about  my  fever.  As  I  was  goin'  there,  I 
passed  near  Johnny's  house,  and  fancied  a  glass,  but  determined 
not  to  get  off  my  horse.  I  rode  up  to  the  window  and  looked  in. 
There  was  a  man  sittin'  at  the  table,  havin'  a  hearty  good  dinner 
of  steaks  and  potatoes,  and  washin'  it  down  with  a  stiff  glass  of 
grog.  I  began  to  feel  hungry  myself,  and  while  I  was  considering 
whether  I  should  'light  or  not,  Johnny  came  sneakin'  out,  and 
whispered  to  me  to  come  in,  that  there  was  a  man  inside  with  whom 
somethin'  might  be  done  if  we  went  the  right  way  to  work ;  a  man 
who  had  a  leather  belt  round  his  waist  cram-full  of  hard  Jackson  ; 
and  that  if  we  got  out  the  cards,  and  pretended  to  play  a  little 
together,  he  would  soon  take  the  bait  and  join  us 

"  I  wasn't  much  inclined  to  do  it,"  continued  Bob  ;  "  but  Johnny 
bothered  me  so  to  go  in,  that  I  got  off  my  horse.  As  I  did  so 
the  dollars  chinked  in  my  pocket,  and  the  sound  gave  me  a  wish 
to  play. 

"•  I  went  in  ;  and  Johnny  fetched  the  whisky  bottle.  One  glass 
followed  another.  There  were  beefsteaks  and  potatoes  too,  but  I 
only  eat  a  couple  of  mouthfuls.  When  I  had  drank  two,  three. 
ay,  four  glasses,  Johnny  brought  the  cards  and  dice.  Hallo 


237 

Johnny,'  says  I,  '  cards  and  dice,  Johnny  !  I've  twenty  dollars 
fifty  in  my  pocket.  Let's  have  a  game  !  But  no  more  drink  for 
me  ;  for  I  know  you,  Johnny,  I  know  you ' 

"  Johnny  larfed  slyly,  and  rattled  the  dice,  and  we  sat  down 
to  play.  I  hadn't  meant  to  drink  any  more,  but  play  makes  one 
thirsty ;  and  with  every  glass  I  got  more  eager,  and  my  dollars 
got  fewer.  I  reckoned,  however,  that  the  stranger  would  join  us, 
and  that  I  should  be  able  to  win  back  from  him  ;  but  not  a  bit  of 
it :  he  sat  quite  quiet,  and  eat  and  drank  as  if  he  didn't  see  we 
were  there.  I  went  on  playin'  madder  than  ever,  and  before  half 
an  hour  was  over,  I  was  cleaned  out ;  my  twenty  dollars  fifty  gone 
to  the  devil,  or  what's  the  same  thing,  into  Johnny's  pocket. 

"  When  I  found  myself  without  a  cent,  I  was  mad,  I  reckon. 
It  warn't  the  first  time,  nor  the  hundredth,  that  I  had  lost  money. 
Many  bigger  sums  than  that — ay,  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
dollars  had  I  played  away — but  they^iad  none  of  them  cost  me 
the  hundredth  or  thousandth  part  of  the  trouble  to  get,  that  these 
twenty  dollars  fifty  had ;  two  full  months  had  I  been  slavin'  away 
in  the  woods  and  prairies  to  aim  them,  and  I  caught  the  fever 
there.  The  fever  I  had  still,  but  no  money  to  cure  it  with.  Johnny 
only  larfed  in  my  face,  and  rattled  my  dollars.  I  made  a  hit  at 
him,  which,  if  he  hadn't  jumped  on  one  side,  would  have  cured  him 
of  larfin'  for  a  week  or  two. 

"  Presently,  however,  he  came  sneakin'  up  to  me,  and  walkin' 
and  whisperin' ;  and,  '  Bob,'  says  he,  '  is  it  come  to  that  with  you  ? 
are  you  grown  so  chicken-hearted  that  you  don't  see  the  belt  full  of 
money  round  his  body?'  said  he,  lookin'  at  it.  'No  end  of  hard 
coin,  I  guess ;  and  all  to  be  had  for  little  more  than  half  an  ounce 
of  lead.5 

"  Did  he  say  that?"  asked  the  judge 

"  Ay,  that  did  he,  but  I  wouldn't  listen  to  him.  I  was  mad 
with  him  for  winning  my  twenty  dollars  ;  and  I  told  him  that  if 
he  wanted  the  stranger's  purse,  he  might  take  it  himself  and  be 

d d ;  that  I  wasn't  goin'  to  pull  the  hot  chestnuts  out  of  the 

fire  for  him.  And  I  got  on  my  horse,  and  rode  away  like  mad. 

"  My  head  spun  round  like  a  mill.  I  couldn't  get  over  my  loss. 
I  took  the  twenty  dollars  fifty  more  to  heart  than  any  money  I  bad 


238 

ever  gambled.     I  didn't  know  where  to  go.     I  didn't  dare  go  back 
to  you,  for  I  knew  you  would  scold  me." 

"  I  shouldn't  have  scolded  you,  Bob  ;  or,  if  I  had,  it  would  only 
have  been  for  your  good.  I  should  have  summoned  Johnny  be 
fore  me,  called  together  a  jury  of  twelve  of  the  neighbors,  got  you 
back  your  twenty  dollars  fifty,  and  sent  Johnny  out  of  the  coun 
try  ;  or,  better  still,  out  of  the  world." 

These  words  were  spoken  with  much  phlegm,  but  yet  with  a 
degree  of  feeling  and  sympathy  which  greatly  improved  my  opin 
ion  of  the  worthy  judge.  Bob  also  seemed  touched.  He  drew  a 
deep  sigh,  and  gazed  at  the  Alcalde  with  a  melancholy  look. 

v  It's  too  late,"  muttered  he ;  "  too  late,  squire." 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  the  judge.  "  but  let's  hear  fhe  rest." 

"  Well,"  continued  Bob,  "  I  kept  riding  on  at  random,  and  when 
evenin'  came  I  found  myself  near  the  palmetta  field  on  the  bank 
of  the  Jacinto.  As  I  was  ridin'  past  it,  I  heard  all  at  once  the 
tramp  of  a  horse.  At  that  moment  the  queerest  feelin'  I  ever  had 
came  over  me  ;  a  sort  of  cold  shiverin'  feel.  I  forgot  where  I  was ; 
sight  and  hearin'  left  me ;  I  could  only  see  two  things,  my  twenty 
dollars  fifty,  and  the  well-filled  belt  of  the  stranger  I  had  left  at 
Johnny's.  Just  then  a  voice  called  to  me. 

"  '  Whence  come,  countryman,  and  whither  going  ?'  it  said. 

44  i  Whence  and  whither,'  answered  I,  as  surlily  as  could  be, '  to 
the  devil  at  a  gallop,  and  you'd  better  ride  on  and  tell  him  I'm 
comin'.' 

" '  You  can  do  the  errand  yourself,'  answered  the  stranger, 
larfin' ;  c  my  road  don't  lie  that  way.' 

"  As  he  spoke  I  looked  round,  and  saw,  what  I  was  pretty  sure 
of  before,  that  it  was  the  man  with  the  belt  full  of  money. 

"'Ain't  you  the  stranger  I  see'd  in  the  inn  yonder?'  asked 
he. 

"  { And  if  I  am,'  says  I,  '  what's  that  to  you  ?' 

"  '  Nothin','  said  he,  'nothin',  certainly.' 

" '  Better  ride  on,'  says  I ;  *  and  leave  me  quiet.' 

"  '  Will  so,  stranger  ;  but  you  needn't  take  it  so  mighty  onkind. 
A  word  ain't  a  tomahawk,  I  reckon,'  said  he.     '  But  I  raythe 
expect  your  losins  at  play  ain't  put  you  in  a  very  church-goin 


239 

humor ;  and,  if  I  was  you,  I'd  keep  my  ^dollars  in  my  pocket, 
and  not  set  them  on  cards  and  dice.' 

u  This  put  me  in  a  rile,  to  hear  him  cast  my  losins  in  my  teeth 
that  way. 

" '  You're  a  nice  feller,'  said  I,  l  to  throw  a  man's  losses  in  his 
face.  A  pitiful  chap  you  are,'  says  I. 

"  I  thought  to  provoke  him,  and  that  he'd  tackle  me.  But  he 
seemed  to  have  no  fancy  for  a  fight,  for  he  said  quite  humble 
like— 

" '  I  throw  nothin'  in  your  face  ;  God  forbid  that  I  should 
reproach  you  with  your  losses  !  I'm  sorry  for  you,  on  the  con 
trary.  Don't  look  like  a  man  who  can  afford  to  lose  his  dollars. 
Seem  to  me  one  who  airng  his  money  by  hard  work.' 

"  We  were  just  then  halted  at  the  further  end  of  the  cane  brake 
close  to  the  trees  that  border  the  Jacinto.  I  had  turned  my 
horse,  and  was  frontin'  the 'stranger.  And  all  the  time  the  devil 
was  whisperin'  to  me,  and  pointin'  to  the  belt  round  the  man's 
waist.  I  could  see  where  it  was,  plain  enough,  though  he  had 
buttoned  his  coat  over  it. 

" '  Hard  work,  indeed,'  says  I ;  '  and  now  I've  lost  everything ; 
not  a  cent  left  for  a  quid  of  baccy.' 

"  '  If  that's  all,'  says  he  ;  <  there's  help  for  that.  I  don't  chew 
myself,  and  I  ain't  a  rich  man ;  I've  a  wife  and  children,  and  want 
every  cent  I've  got,  but  it's  one's  duty  to  help  a  countryman. 
You  shall  have  money  for  tobacco  and  a  dram.' 

"  And  so  sayin',  he  took  a  purse  out  of  his  pocket,  in  which  he 
carried  his  change.  It  was  pretty  full ;  there  may  have  been 
some  twenty  dollars  in  it ;  and  as  he  drew  the  string,  it  was  as 
if  the  devil  laughed  and  nodded  to  me  out  of  the  openin'  of  the 
purse. 

" '  Halves  !'  cried  I. 

"  ;  No,  not  that,'  says  he  ;  l  I've  a  wife  and  child,  and  what  I 
have  belongs  to  them ;  but  half  a  dollar' 

"  '  Halves  !'  cried  I  again  ;  '  or  else' 

"  '  Or  else  ?'  repeated  he  :  and,  as  he  spoke,  he  put  the  purse 
back  into  his  pocket,  and  laid  hold  of  the  rifle  which  was  slung  on 
his  shoulder. 


240 

" '  Don't  force  one  to  do  you  a  mischief,'  said  he.  '  Don't,'  sayi 
he ;  'we  might  both  be  sorry  for  it.  What  you're  thinkin'  of 
brings  no  blessinV 

"  I  was  past  seem'  or  hearin'.  A  thousand  devils  from  hell 
were  possessin'  me. 

" '  Halves  !'  I  yelled  out ;  and,  as  I  said  the  word,  he  sprang 
out  of  the  saddle,  and  fell  back  over  his  horse's  crupper  to  the 
ground. 

" '  I'm  a  dead  man !'  cried  he ;  as  well  as  the  rattle  in  his 
throat  would  let  him.  <  God  be  merciful  to  me  !  My  poor  wife, 
my  poor  children  !'  " 

Bob  paused  ;  he  gasped  for  breath,  and  the  sweat  stood  in  large 
drops  upon  his  forehead.  He  gazed  wildly  round  the  room. 
The  judge  himself  looked  very  pale.  I  tried  to  rise,  but  sank 
back  in  my  chair.  Without  the  table  I  believe  I  should  have 
fallen  to  the  ground. 

There  was  a  gloomy  pause  of  some  moments'  duration.  At 
last  the  judge  broke  silence. 

"  A  hard,  hard  case  !"  said  he.  "  Father,  mother,  children,  all 
at  one  blow.  Bob,  you  are  a  bad  fellow — a  very  bad  fellow — a 
great  villain !" 

"  A  great  villain,"  groaned  Bob.  "  The  ball  was  gone  right 
through  his  breast." 

"  Perhaps  your  gun  went  off  by  accident,"  said  the  judge,  anx 
iously.  "  Perhaps  it  was  his  own  ball." 

Bob  shook  his  head. 

"  I  see  him  now,  judge,  as  plain  as  can  be,  when  he  said,  *  Don't 
force  me  to  do  you  a  mischief.  We  might  both  be  sorry  for  it.' 
But  I  pulled  the  trigger.  His  bullet  is  still  in  his  rifle. 

i;  When  I  saw  him  lie  dead  before  me,  I  can't  tell  you  what  I 
felt.  It  warn't  the  first  I  had  sent  to  his  account ;  but  yet  I 
would  have  given  all  the  purses  and  money  in  the  world  to  have 
had  him  alive  again.  I  must  have  dragged  him  under  the  Patri 
arch,  and  dug  a  grave  with  my  hunting  knife  ;  for  I  found  him 
there  afterwards." 

"  You  found  him  there  ?"  repeated  the  judge. 


241 

"  Yes.  I  don't  know  how  he  came  there.  I  must  have  brought 
him,  but  I  recollect  nothin'  about  it." 

The  judge  had  risen  from  his  chair,  and  was  walking  up  and 
down  the  room,  apparently  in  deep  thought.  Suddenly  he  stop 
ped  short. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  his  money  ?" 

"  I  took  his  purse,  but  buried  his  belt  with  him,  as  well  as  a 
flask  of  rum  and  some  bread  and  beef  he  had  brought  away  from 
Johnny's.  I  set  out  for  San  Felipe,  and  rode  the  whole  day.  In 
the  evinin',  when  I  looked  about  me,  expectin'  to  see  the  town, 
where  do  you  think  I  was  ?" 

The  judge  and  I  stared  at  him. 

"  Under  the  Patriarch.  The  ghost  of  the  murdered  man  had 
driven  me  there.  I  had  no  peace  till  I'd  dug  him  up  and  buried 
him  again.  Next  day  I  set  off  in  another  direction.  I  was  out 
of  tobacco,  and  I  started  across  the  prairie  to  Anahuac.  Lord, 
what  a  day  I  passed  !  Wherever  I  went,  he  stood  before  me.  If 
I  turned,  he  turned  too.  Sometimes  he  came  behind  me,  and 
looked  over  my  shoulder.  I  spurred  my  mustang  till  the  blood 
came,  hopin'  to  get  away  from  him,  but  it  was  all  no  use.  I 
thought  when  I  got  to  Anahuac  I  should  be  quit  of  him,  and  I 
galloped  on  as  if  for  life  or  death.  But  in  the  evenin',  instead 
of  bein'  close  to  the  salt-works  as  I  expected,  there  I  was  again, 
under  the  Patriarch.  I  dug  him  up  a  second  time,  and  sat  and 
stared  at  him,  and  then  buried  him  agin." 

"  Queer  that,"  observed  the  judge. 

"  Ay,  very  queer !"  said  Bob  mournfully.  "  But  it's  all  no 
use.  Nothin'  does  me  any  good.  I  sha'nt  be  better — I  shall 
never  have  peace  till  I'm  hung." 

Bob  evidently  felt  relieved  now  ;  he  had  in  a  manner  passed 
sentence  on  himself.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  I  had  a  slmilaY 
feeling,  and  could  not  help  nodding  my  head  approvingly.  The 
judge  alone  preserved  an  unmoved  countenance. 

"  Indeed  !"  said  he,  "  indeed  !  You  think  you'll  be  no  better 
till  you're  hung." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Bob,  with  eager  haste.  "  Hung  on  the  same 
tree  under  which  he  lies  buried." 


242 

u  Well,  if  you  will  have  it  so,  we'll  see  what  can  be  done  for 
you.  We'll  call  a  jury  of  the  neighbors  together  to-morrow." 

"  Thank  ye,  squire,"  murmured  Bob,  visibly  comforted  by  this 
promise. 

"  We'll  summon  a  jury,"  repeated  the  Alcalde,  "  and  see  what 
can  be  done  for  you.  You'll  perhaps  have  changed  your  mind 
by  that  time." 

I  stared  at  him  like  one  fallen  from  the  clouds,  but  he  did 
not  seem  to  notice  my  surprise. 

"  There  is,  perhaps,  another  way  to  get  rid  of  your  life,  if  you 
are  tired  of  it,"  he  continued.  "  We  might,  perhaps,  hit  upon  one 
that  would  satisfy  your  conscience." 

Bob  shook  his  head.  I  involuntarily  made  the  same  move 
ment. 

"  At  any  rate,  we'll  hear  what  the  neighbors  say,"  added  the 
judge. 

Bob  stepped  up  to  the  judge,  and  held  out  his  hand  to  bid 
him  farewell.  The  other  did  not  take  it,  and  turning  to  me, 
said—"  Yon  had  better  stop  here,  I  think  " 

Bob  turned  round  impetuously. 

"  The  gentleman  must  come  with  me." 

"  Why  must  he  ?"  said  the  judge. 

«  Ask  himself." 

I  again  explained  the  obligation  I  was  under  to  Bob  ;  how  we 
had  fallen  in  with  one  another ;  and  what  care  and  attention  he 
had  shown  me  at  Johnny's. 

The  judge  nodded  approvingly.  "  Nevertheless,"  said  he, "  you 
will  remain  here,  and  Bob  will  go  alone.  You  are  in  a  state  of 
mind,  Bob,  in  which  a  man  is  better  alone,  d'ye  see  ;  and  so  leave 
the  young  man  here.  Another  misfortune  might  happen  ;  and, 
at  any  rate,  he's  better  here  than  at  Johnny's.  Come  back  to-mor 
row,  and  we'll  see  what  can  be  done  for  you." 

These  words  were  spoken  in  a  decided  manner,  which  seemed 
to  have  its  effect  upon  Bob.  He  nodded  assentingly,  and  left  the 
room.  I  remained  staring  at  the  judge,  and  lost  in  wonder  at  these 
itrmnge  proceedings. 


243 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 


TRIAL      BY      A     TEXIAN     JURY. 

WHEN  Bob  was  gone,  the  Alcalde  gave  a  blast  on  a  shell,  which 
supplied  the  place  of  a  bell.  Then  seizing  the  cigar  box,  he  tried 
one  cigar  after  another,  broke  them  peevishly  up,  and  threw  the 
pieces  out  of  the  window.  The  negro  whom  the  shell  had  sum 
moned,  stood  for  some  time  waiting,  while  his  master  broke  up  the 
cigars,  and  threw  them  away.  At  last  the  judge's  patience  seemed 
quite  to  leave  him. 

"  Hark  ye,  Ptoly !"  growled  he  to  the  frightened  black,  "  the 
next  time  you  bring  me  cigars  that  neither  draw  nor  smoke,  I'll 
make  your  back  smoke  for  it.  Mind  that,  now ; — there's  not  a 
single  one  of  them  worth  a  rotten  maize  stalk.  Tell  that  old 
coffee-colored  hag  of  Johnny's,  that  I'll  have  no  more  of  her  cigars. 
Ride  over  to  Mr.  Ducie's  and  fetch  a  box.  And,  d'ye  hear  ?  Tell 
him  I  want  to  speak  a  word  with  him  and  the  neighbors.  Ask 
him  to  bring  the  neighbors  with  him  to-morrow  morning.  And 
mind  you're  home  again  by  two  o'clock.  Take  the  mustang  we 
caught  last  week.  I  want  to  see  how  he  goes." 

The  negro  listened  to  these  various  commands  with  open  mouth 
and  staring  eyes,  then  giving  a  perplexed  look  at  his  master,  shot 
out  of  the  room. 

"  Where  away,  Ptoly  ?"  shouted  the  Alcalde  after  him. 

•'  To  Massa  Ducie." 

"  Without  a  pass,  Ptoly  ?  And  what  are  you  going  to  say  to 
Mr.  Ducie  ?" 

"  Him  nebber  send  bad  cigar  again,  him  coffee-culliid  hag. 


244 

Massa  speak  to  Johnny  and  neighbors.     Johnny  bring  neighborf 
here." 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  said  the  judge  with  perfect  equanimity. 
u  Wait  a  minute,  I'll  write  the  pass,  and  a  couple  of  lines  for  Mr. 
Ducie." 

This  was  soon  done,  and  the  negro  dispatched  on  his  errand. 
The  judge  waited  till  he  heard  the  sound  of  his  horse's  feet  gal 
loping  away,  and  then,  laying  hold  of  the  box  of  despised  cigars, 
lit  the  first  which  came  to  hand.  It  smoked  capitally,  as  did 
the  one  that  I  took.  They  were  Principes,  and  as  good  as  I  ever 
tasted. 

I  passed  the  whole  of  that  day  tete-a-tete  with  the  judge,  who  I 
soon  found,  knew  various  friends  of  mine  in  the  States.  I  told 
him  the  circumstances  under  which  I  had  come  to  Texas,  and  the 
intention  I  had  of  settling  there,  should  I  find  the  country  to  my 
liking.  During  our  long  conversation,  I  was  able  to  form  a  very 
different,  and  much  more  favorable  estimate  of  his  character,  than 
I  had  done  from  his  interview  with  Bob.  He  was  the  very  man 
to  be  useful  to  a  new  country ;  of  great  energy,  sound  judgment, 
enlarged  and  liberal  views.  He  gave  me  some  curious  information 
as  to  the  state  of  things  in  Texas  ;  and  did  not  think  it  necessary 
to  conceal  from  me,  as  an  American,  and  one  who  intended  set 
tling  in  the  country,  that  there  was  a  plan  in  agitation  for  throw 
ing  off  the  Mexican  yoke,  and  declaring  Texas  an  independent 
republic.  The  high-spirited,  and,  for  the  most  part,  intelligent 
emigrants  from  the  United  States,  who  formed  a  very  large 
majority  of  the  population  of  Texas,  saw  themselves,  with  no  very 
patient  feeling,  under  the  rule  of  a  people  both  morally  and  phy 
sically  inferior  to  themselves.  They  looked  with  contempt,  and 
justly  so,  on  the  bigoted,  idle,  and  ignorant  Mexicans,  while  the 
difference  of  religion,  and  interference  of  the  priests,  served  to 
increase  the  dislike  between  the  Spanish  and  Anglo-American 
races. 

Although  the  project  was  as  yet  not  quite  ripe  for  execution, 
it  was  discussed  freely  and  openly  by  the  American  settlers.  "  It 
is  the  interest  of  every  man  to  keep  it  secret,"  said  the  judge ; 
ind  there  can  be  nothing  to  induce  even  the  worst  amongst  us  to 


245 

betray  a  cause,  by  the  success  of  which  he  is  sure  to  profit.  We 
have  many  bad  characters  in  Texas,  the  offscourings  of  the  United 
States,  men  like  Bob,  or  far  worse  than  him  5  but  debauched, 
gambling,  drunken  villains  though  they  be,  they  are  the  men 
we  want  when  it  comes  to  a  struggle  ;  and  when  that  time  arrives, 
they  will  all  be  found  ready  to  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel, 
use  knife  and  rifle,  and  shed  the  last  drop  of  their  blood  in  defence 
of  their  fellow  citizens,  and  of  the  new  and  independent  republic 
of  Texas.  At  this  moment  we  must  wink  at  many  things  which 
would  be  severely  punished  in  an  older  and  more  settled  country ; 
each  man's  arm  is  of  immense  value  to  the  State ;  for,  on  the  day 
of  battle,  we  shall  have,  not  two  to  one,  but  twenty  to  one  opposed 
to  us." 

I  was  awakened  the  following  morning  by  the  sound  of  a  horse's 
feet ;  and,  looking  out  of  the  window,  saw  Bob  dismounting  from 
his  mustang.  The  last  twenty-four  hours  had  told  fearfully  upon 
him.  His  limbs  seemed  powerless,  and  he  reeled  and  staggered 
in  such  a  manner,  that  I  at  first  thought  him  intoxicated.  But 
such  was  not  the  case.  His  was  the  deadly  we'ariness  caused  by 
mental  anguish.  He  looked  like  one  just  taken  from  the  rack. 

Hastily  pulling  on  my  clothes,  I  hurried  down  stairs,  and 
opened  the  house  door.  Bob  stood  with  his  head  resting  on  his 
horse's  neck,  and  his  hands  crossed,  shivering  and  groaning. 
When  I  spoke  to  him,  he  looked  up,  but  did  not  seem  to  know  me. 
I  tied  his  horse  to  a  post,  and  taking  his  hand  led  him  into  the 
house.  He  followed  like  a  child,  apparently  without  the  will  or 
the  power  to  resist ;  and  when  I  placed  him  in  a  chair,  he  fell  into 
it  with  a  weight  that  made  it  crack  under  him,  and  shook  the 
house.  I  could  not  get  him  to  speak,  and  was  about  to  return  to 
my  room  to  complete  my  toilet,  when  I  again  heard  the  tramp  of 
mustangs.  This  was  a  party  of  half  a  do?en  horsemen,  all  dressed 
in  hunting  shirts  over  buckskin  breeches  and  jackets,  and  armed 
with  rifles  and  bowie-knives  ;  stout,  daring-looking  fellows,  evi 
dently  from  the  south-western  States,  with  the  true  Kentucky 
half-horse  half-alligator  profile,  and  the  usual  allowance  of  thun 
der,  lightning,  and  earthquake.  It  struck  me  when  I  saw  them, 
that  two  or  three  thousand  such  men  would  have  small  difficulty 

21* 


246 

in  dealing  with  a  whole  army  of  Mexicans,  if  the  latter  were  all 
of  the  pigmy,  spindle-shanked  breed  I  had  seen  on  first  landing. 
These  giants  could  easily  have  walked  away  with  a  Mexican  in 
each  hand. 

They  jumped  off  their  horses,  and  threw  the  bridles  to  the 
negroes  in  the  usual  Kentuckian  devil-may-care  style,  and  then 
walked  into  the  house  with  the  air  of  people  who  make  themselves 
at  home  everywhere,  and  who  knew  themselves  to  be  more  masters 
in  Texas  than  the  Mexicans  themselves.  On  entering  the  parlor 
they  nodded  a  "  good  morning"  to  me,  rather  coldly  to  be  sure, 
for  they  had  seen  me  talking  to  Bob,  which  probably  did  not  much 
recommend  me.  Presently  four  more  horsemen  rode  up,  and  then 
a  third  party,  so  that  there  were  now  fourteen  of  them  assembled, 
all  decided  looking  men,  in  the  prime  of  life  and  strength.  The 
judge,  who  slept  in  an  adjoining  room,  had  been  awakened  by  the 
noise.  I  heard  him  jump  out  of  bed,  and  not  three  minutes 
elapsed  before  he  had  entered  the  parlor. 

After  he  had  shaken  hands  with  all  his  visitors,  he  presented 
me  to  them,  and  I  found  that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  no  less 
important  persons  than  the  Ayuntamiento  of  San  Felipe  de  Aus 
tin  ;  and  that  two  of  my  worthy  countrymen  were  corregidors,  one 
a  procurador,  and  the  others  buenos  hombres,  or  freeholders.  They 
did  not  seem,  however,  to  prize  their  titles  much,  for  they 
addressed  one  another  by  their  surnames  only. 

The  negro  brought  a  light,  opened  the  cigar  box,  and  arranged 
the  chairs ;  the  judge  pointed  to  the  sideboard  and  to  the  cigars 
and  then  sat  down.  Some  took  a  dram,  others  lit  a  cigar. 

Several  minutes  elapsed,  during  which  the  men  sat  in  perfect 
silence,  as  if  they  were  collecting  their  thoughts,  or,  as  though  it 
were  undignified  to  show  any  haste  or  impatience  to  speak.  This 
grave  sort  of  deliberation  which  is  met  with  among  certain  classes, 
and  iu,certain  provinces  of  the  Union,  has  often  struck  me  as  a 
curious  feature  of  our  national  character.  It  partakes  of  the  stoical 
dignity  of  the  Indian  at  his  council  fire,  and  of  the  stern,  religious 
gravity  of  the  early  puritan  settlers  in  America. 

During  this  pause  Bob  was  writhing  on  his  chair,  like  a  worm, 
his  face  concealed  by  his  hands,  his  elbows  on  his  knees.  At 


247 

last,  when  all  had  drank  and  smoked,  the  judge  laid  down  hii 
cigar. 

"  Men  !"  said  he. 

"  Squire  !"  answered  they. 

"  We've  a  business  before  us,  which  I  calculate  will  be  beat 
explained  by  him  whom  it  concerns." 

The  men  looked  at  the  squire,  then  at  Bob,  then  at  me. 

"  Bob  Rock  !  or  whatever  your  name  may  be,  if  you  have  aught 
to  say,  say  it  P  continued  the  judge. 

"  Said  it  all  yesterday,"  muttered  Bob,  his  face  still  covered  by 
his  hands. 

"  Yes,  but  you  must  say  it  again  to-day.  Yesterday  was  Sun 
day,  and  Sunday  is  a  day  of  rest  and  not  of  business.  I  will 
neither  judge  you,  nor  allow  you  to  be  judged  by  what  you  said 
yesterday.  Besides,  it  was  all  between  ourselves,  for  I  don't 
reckon  Mr. as  anything  ;  I  count  him  still  as  a  stranger." 

"  What's  the  use  of  so  much  palaver,  when  the  thing's  plain 
enough  ?"  said  Bob,  peevishly,  raising  his  head  as  he  spoke. 

The  men  stared  at  him  in  grave  astonishment.  He  was  really 
frightful  to  behold ;  his  face  of  a  sort  of  blue  tint ;  his  cheeks  hoi 
low  ;  his  beard  wild  and  ragged  ;  his  blood-shot  eyes  rolling  and 
deep  sunk  in  their  sockets.  His  appearance  was  scarcely  human. 

"  I  tell  you  again,"  said  the  judge,  "  I  will  condemn  no  man 
upon  his  own  word  alone  ;  much  less  you,  who  have  been  in  my 
service,  and  eaten  of  my  bread.  You  accused  yourself  yester 
day,  but  you  were  delirious  at  the  time — you  had  the  fever  upon 
you." 

"  It's  no  use,  squire,"  said  Bob,  apparently  touched  by  the  kind 
ness  of  the  judge.  «  You  mean  well,  I  see ;  but  though  you  might 
deliver  me  out  of  men's  hands,  you  couldn't  rescue  me  from  myself. 
It's  no  use — I  must  be*  hung — hung  on  the  same  tree  under  which 
the  man  I  killed  lies  buried." 

The  men,  or  the  jurors,  as  I  may  call  them,  looked  at  one 
another,  but  said  nothing. 

"  It's  no  use,"  again  cried  Bob,  in  a  shrill,  agonized  tone.  *  If 
he  had  attacked  me,  or  only  threatened  n\c  ;  but  no,  he  didn't  do 
it.  I  hear  his  words  still,  when  he  said, '  Do  it  not,  man  !  I've  a 


248 

wife  and  child.  What  you  inteiid  brings  no  blessin*  on  the  doer. 
But  I  heard  nothin'  then  except  the  voice  of  the  devil;  I  brought 
the  rifle  down — levelled — fired." 

The  man's  agony  was  so  intense,  that  even  the  iron-featured 
jury  seemed  moved  by  it.  They  cast  sharp,  but  stolen  glances  at 
Bob.  There  was  a  short  silence. 

"  So  you  have  killed  a  man  ?"  said  a  deep,  bass  voice,  at  last. 

"  Ay,  that  have  I !"  gasped  Bob. 

"  And  how  came  that  ?"  continued  his  questioner. 

"  How  it  came  ?  You  must  ask  the  devil  or  Johnny.  No,  not 
Johnny,  he  can  tell  you  nothing ;  he  was  not  there.  No  one  can 
tell  you  but  me  ;  and  I  hardly  know  how  it  was.  The  man  was 
at  Johnny's,  and  Johnny  showed  me  his  belt  full  of  money." 

"  Johnny  !"  exclaimed  several  of  the  jury. 

"  Ay,  Johnny  !  He  reckoned  on  winning  it  from  him,  but  the 
man  was  too  cautious  for  that ;  and  when  Johnny  had  plucked  all 
my  feathers,  won  my  twenty  dollars  fifty " 

u  Twenty  dollars  fifty  cents,"  interposed  the  judge,  "  which  I 
paid  him  for  catching  mustangs  and  shooting  game." 

The  men  nodded. 

"  And  then  because  he  wouldn't  play,  you  shot  him  ?"  asked  the 
same  deep-toned  voice  as  before. 

"  No — some  hours  after — by  the  Jacinto,  near  the  Patriarch — 
met  him  there,  and  killed  him." 

"  Thought  there  was  something  out  o'  the  common  thereaway," 
said  one  of  the  jury  ;  "  for  as  we  rode  by  the  tree  a  whole  nation 
of  kites  and  turkey  buzzards  flew  out.  Didn't  they,  Mr.  Hart  ?" 

Mr.  Hart  nodded. 

"  Met  him  by  the  river,  and  cried  halves  of  his  money,"  con 
tinued  Bob  mechanically.  w  He  said  he'd  give  me  something  to 
buy  a  qnid,  and  more  than  enough  for  that,  but  not  halves.  *  I've 
a  wife  and  child,'  said  he " 

"  And  you?"  asked  the  juror  with  the  deep  voice,  which  thii 
time,  however,  had  a  hollow"  Bound  in  it. 

"  Shot  him  down,"  said  Bob,  with  a  wild,  hoarse  laugh. 

For  some  time  no  word  was  spoken. 

"  And  who  was  the  man  ?"  said  a  juror  at  last. 


249 

"  Didn't  ask  him  ;  and  it  warn't  written  on  his  face.  He  wai 
from  the  States  ;  but  whether  a  hoosier,  or  a  buckeye,  or  a  mud- 
head,  is  more  than  I  can  say." 

"  The  thing  must  be  investigated,  Alcalde,"  said  another  of  the 
jury  after  a  second  pause. 

"  It  must  so,"  said  the  Alcalde. 

"  What's  the  good  of  so  much  investigation  ?"  grumbled  Bob. 

"  What  good  ?"  repeated  the  Alcalde.  "  Because  we  owe  it  to 
ourselves,  to  the  dead  man,  and  to  you,  not  to  sentence  you  with 
out  havifig  held  an  inquest  on  the  body.  There's  another  thing 
which  I  must  call  your  attention  to,"  continued  he,  turning  to  the 
jury ;  "  the  man  is  half  out  of  his  mind — non  compos  mentis  as 
they  say.  He's  got  the  fever,  and  had  it  when  he  did  the  deed ; 
he  was  urged  on  by  Johnny,  and  maddened  by  his  losses  at  play. 
In  spite  of  his  wild  excitement,  however,  he  saved  that  gentleman's 
life  yonder,  Mr.  . 

"  Did  he  so  ?"  said  one  of  the  jury. 

"  That  did  he,"  replied  I,  "  not  only  by  saving  me  from  drown 
ing  when  my  horse  dragged  me,  half  dead  and  helpless,  into  the 
river,  but  also  by  the  care  and  attention  he  forced  Johnny  and  his 
mulatto  to  bestow  upon  me.  Without  him  I  should  not  be  alive 
at  this  moment." 

Bob  gave  me  a  look  which  went  to  my  heart.  The  tears  were 
standing  in  his  eyes.  The  jury  heard  me  in  deep  silence. 

"  It  seems  that  Johnny  led  you  on  and  excited  you  to  this  ?" 
said  one  of  the  jurors. 

"  I  didn't  say  that.  I  only  said  that  he  pointed  to  the  man's 

money  bag,  and  said But  what  is  it  to  you  what  Johnny  said  ? 

I'm  the  man  who  did  it.  I  speak  for  myself,  and  I'll  be  hanged 
for  myself." 

"  All  very  good,  Bob,"  interposed  the  Alcalde  ;  "  but  we  can't 
hang  you  without  being  sure  you  deserve  it.  What  do  you  say  to 
it,  Mr.  Whyte?  You  are  the  procurador — and  you,  Mr.  Hart  and 
Mr.  Stone  ?  Help  yourselves  to  rum  or  brandy ;  and  Mr.  Bright 
and  Irwin,  take  another  cigar.  They're  considerable  tolerable 
the  cigars — ain't  they?  That's  brandy,  Mr.  Whyte,  in  the 
diamond  bottle.11 


250 

Mr.  Why te  had  got  up  to  give  his  opinion,  as  I  thought ;  but  1 
tras  mistaken.  He  stepped  to  the  sideboard,  took  up  a  bottle  in 
one  hand  and  a  glass  in  the  other,  every  movement  being  per 
formed  with  the  greatest  deliberation. 

"  Well,  squire,"  said  he,  "  or  rather  Alcalde " 

After  the  word  Alcalde,  he  filled  the  glass  half  full  of  rum. 

"  If  it's  as  we've  heard,"  added  he,  pouring  about  a  spoonful  of 
water  on  the  rum,  "  and  Bob  has  killed  the  man" — he  continued, 
throwing  in  some  lumps  of  sugar — "  murdered  him,"  he  went  on 
crushing  the  sugar  with  a  wooden  stamp — "  I  rather  calkilate" 
— here  he  raised  the  glass — "  Bob  ought  to  be  hung,"  he  conclu 
ded,  putting  the  tumbler  to  his  mouth  and  emptying  it. 

The  jurors  nodded  in  silence.  Bob  drew  a  deep  breath,  as  if  a 
load  were  taken  off  his  breast. 

"  Well,"  said  the  judge,  who  did  not  look  over  well  pleased  ; 
"  if  you  all  think  so,  and  Bob  is  agreed,  I  calculate  we  must  do  as 
he  wishes.  I  tell  you,  though,  I  don't  do  it  willingly.  At  any 
rate  we  must  find  the  dead  man  first,  and  examine  Johnny.  We 
owe  that  to  ourselves  and  to  Bob." 

"  Certainly."  said  the  jury  with  one  voice. 

';  You  are  a  dreadful  murderer,  Bob,  a  very  considerable  one," 
continued  the  judge,  "  but  I  tell  you  to  your  face,  and  not  to  flat 
ter  you,  there  is  more  good  in  your  little  finger  than  in  Johnny's 
whole  hide.  And  I'm  sorry  for  you,  because,  at  the  bottom,  you 
are  not  a  bad  man,  though  you've  been  led  away  by  bad  company 
and  example.  I  calculate  you  might  still  be  reformed,  and  made 
very  useful — more  so,  perhaps,  than  you  think.  Your  rifle's  a 
capital  good  one." 

At  these  last  words  the  men  all  looked  up,  and  threw  a  keen, 
inquiring  glance  at  Bob. 

'*  You  might  be  of  great  service,"  continued  the  judge  encourag 
ingly,  "  to  the  country  and  to  your  fellow-citizens.  You're  worth 
a  dozen  Mexicans  any  day." 

While  the  judge  was  speaking.  Bob  let  his  head  fall  on  his 
breast,  and  seemed  reflecting.  He  now  looked  up. 

"  I  understand,  squire  ;  I  see  what  you're  drivin'  at.  But  I 
can't  4o  it — I  can't  wait  so  long.  My  life's  a  burthen  and  a  suf 


251 

ferin'  to  me.  Wherever  I  go,  by  day  or  by  night,  he's  alwayi 
there,  standin'  before  me,  and  drivin*  me  under  the  Patriarch." 

There  was  a  pause  of  some  duration.     The  judge  resumed. 

"  So  be  it,  then,"  said  he,  with  a  sort  of  suppressed  sigh. 
We'll  see  the  body  to-day,  Bob,  and  you  may  come  to-morrow  at 
ten  o'clock." 

"  Couldn't  it  be  sooner  ?"  asked  Bob,  impatiently. 

"  Why  sooner  ?     Are  you  in  such  a  hurry  ?"  asked  Mr.  Heart. 

"  What's  the  use  of  palaverin'  ?"  said  Bob,  sulkily.  "  I  told 
you  already,  I'm  sick  of  my  life.  If  you  don't  come  till  ten 
o'clock,  by  the  time  you've  had  your  talk  out  and  ridden  to  the 
Patriarch,  the  fever'll  be  upon  me." 

"  But  we  can't  be  flying  about  like  a  parcel  of  wild  geeso 
because  of  your  fever,"  said  the  procurador. 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  Bob,  humbly. 

"  It's  an  ugly  customer,  the  fever,  though,  Mr.  Whyte,"  observe^ 
Mr.  Trace ;  "  and  I  calculate  we  ought  to  do  him  some  pleasure. 
What  do  you  think,  squire  ?" 

"  I  reckon  he's  rather  indiscreet  in  his  askin's,"  said  the  judge, 
in  a  tone  of  vexation.  "  However,  as  he  wishes  it,  and  if  it  ia 
agreeable  to  you,"  added  he,  turning  to  the  Ayuntamiento,  "  and 
as  it's  you,  Bob,  I  calculate  we  must  do  what  you  ask." 

"  Thankee,"  said  Bob. 

"  Nothing  to  thank  for,"  growled  the  judge.  "  And  now  go 
into  the  kitchen  and  get  a  good  meal  of  roast  beef,  d'ye  hear  ?" 
He  knocked  upon  the  table.  "  Some  good  roast  beef  for  Bob," 
said  he  to  a  negress  who  entered,  "  and  see  that  he  eats  it.  And 
get  yourself  dressed  more  decently,  Bob — like  a  white  man  and 
a  Christian,  not  like  a  wild  redskin." 

The  negress  and  Bob  left  the  room.  The  conversation  now 
turned  upon  Johnny,  who  appeared,  from  all  accounts,  to  be  a 
very  bad  and  dangerous  fellow  ;  and  after  a  short  discussion,  they 
agreed  to  lynch  him,  (in  backwoodsman's  phrase,)  just  as  coolly 
as  if  they  had  been  talking  of  catching  a  mustang.  When  the 
men  had  come  to  this  satisfactory  conclusion,  they  got  up,  drank 
the  judge's  health  and  mine,  shook  us  by  the  hand,  and  left  the 
room  and  the  house. 


252 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


THEEXECUTION. 

THE  day  passed  more  heavily  than  the  preceding  one.  I  was 
too  much  engrossed  with  the  strange  scene  I  had  witnessed  to 
talk  much.  The  judge,  too,  was  in  a  very  bad  humor.  He  was 
vexed  that  a  man  should  be  hung  who  might  render  the  country 
much  and  good  service  if  he  remained  alive.  That  Johnny,  the 
miserable,  cowardly,  treacherous  Johnny,  should  be  sent  out  of 
the  world  as  quickly  as  possible,  was  perfectly  correct,  but  with 
Bob  it  was  very  different.  In  vain  did  I  remind  him  of  the 
crime  of  which  Bob  had  been  guilty — of  the  outraged  laws  of 
God  aad  man — and  of  the  atonement  due.  It  was  no  use.  If 
Bob  had  sinned  against  society,  he  could  repair  his  fault  much 
better  by  remaining  alive  than  by  being  hung ;  and,  for  anything 
else,  God  would  avenge  it  in  his  own  good  time.  We  parted  for 
the  night,  neither  of  us  convinced  by  the  other's  arguments. 

We  were  sitting  at  breakfast  the  next  morning,  when  a  man, 
dressed  in  tyack,  rode  up  to  the  door.  It  was  Bob,  but  so  meta 
morphosed  that  I  scarcely  knew  him.  Instead  of  the  torn  and 
bloodstained  handkerchief  round  his  head,  he  wore  a  hat ;  instead 
of  the  leathern  jacket,  a  decent  cloth  coat.  He  had  shaved  off 
his  beard,  too,  and  looked  quite  another  man.  His  manner  had 
altered  with  his  dress  ;  he  seemed  tranquil  and  resigned.  With 
a  mild  and  submissive  look,  he  held  out  his  Hand  to  the  judge, 
who  took  and  shook  it  heartily. 

"  Ah,  Bob,"  said  he,  "  if  you  had  only  listened  to  what  I  so 
often  told  you !  I  had  those  clothes  brought  on  purpose  from 


253 

New  Orleans,  in  order  that,  on  Sundays  at  least,  you  might  loo* 
like  a  decent  and  respectable  man.  How  often  have  I  asked  you 
to  put  them  on,  and  come  with  us  to  meeting,  to  hear  Mr.  Bliss 
preach  !  There  is  some  truth  in  the  saying,  that  the  coat  makes 
the  man.  With  his  Sunday  coat,  a  man  often  puts  on  other  and 
better  thoughts.  If  that  had  been  your  case  only  fifty-two  times 
in  the  year,  you'd  have  learned  to  avoid  Johnny  before  now." 

Bob  said  nothing. 

"  Well,  well !  I've  done  a.11  I  could  to  make  a  better  man  of 
you.  All  that  was  in  my  power." 

"  That  you  have,"  answered  Bob,  much  moved.  "  God  reward 
you  for  it." 

I  could  not  help  holding  out  my  hand  to  the  worthy  judge ; 
and  as  I  did  so,  I  thought  I  saw  a  moistness  in  his  eye,  which  he 
suppressed,  however,  and,  turning  to  the  breakfast  table,  bade  us 
sit  down.  Bob  thanked  him  humbly,  but  declined,  saying  that 
he  wished  to  appear  fasting  before  his  offended  Creator.  The 
judge  insisted,  and  reasoned  with  him,  and  at  last  he  took  a 
chair. 

Before  we  had  done  breakfast,  our  friends  of  the  preceding  day 
began  to  drop  in,  and  some  of  them  joined  us  at  the  meal.  When 
they  had  all  taken  what  they  chose,  the  judge  ordered  the  negroes 
to  clear  away,  and  leave  the  room.  This  done,  he  seated  himself 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  table,  with  the  Ayuntamiento  on  either 
side,  and  Bob  facing  him. 

"  Mr.  Whyte,"  said  the  Alcalde,  "  have  you,  as  procurado,  any 
thing  to  state  ?" 

"  Yes,  Alcalde,"  replied  the  procurado.  "  In  virtue  of  my 
office,  I  made  a  search  in  the  place  mentioned  by  Bob  Hock,  and 
there  found  the  body  of  a  man  who  had  met  his  death  by  a  gun 
shot  wound.  I  aiso  found  a  belt  full  of  money,  and  several  let 
ters  of  recommendation  to  different  planters,  from  which  it 
appears  that  the  man  was  on  his  way  from  Illinois  to  San  Felipe, 
in  order  to  buy  land  of  Colonel  Austin,  and  to  settle  in  Texas." 
The  procurado  then  produced  a  pair  of  saddlebags,  out  of  which 
he  took  a  leathern  belt  stuffed  with  money,  which  he  laid  on  the 
table,  together  with  the  letters.  The  judge  opened  the  belt,  and 

22 


254 

counted  the  money.  It  amounted  to  upwards  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  in  gold  and  silver.  The  procurador  then  read  the  let 
ters. 

One  of  the  corregidors  now  announced  that  Johnny  and  his 
mulatto  had  left  their  house  and  fled.  He,  the  corregidor,  had 
sent  people  in  pursuit  of  them  ;  but  as  yet  there  were  no  tidings 
of  their  capture.  This  piece  of  intelligence  seemed  to  vex  the 
judge  greatly,  but  he  made  no  remark  on  it  at  the  time. 

«  Bob  Rock  !"  cried  he. 

Bob  stepped  forward. 

"  Bob  Rock,  or  by  whatever  name  you  may  be  known,  are  you 
guilty  or  not  guilty  of  this  man's  death  ?" 

"  Guilty  !"  replied  Bob,  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  will  you  be  pleased  to  give  your  ver 
dict  ?" 

The  jury  left  the  room.     In  ten  minutes  they  returned. 

"  Guilty  !"  said  the  foreman. 

"  Bob  Rock,"  said  the  judge  solemnly,  "  your  fellow-citizens  have 
found  you  guilty ;  and  I  pronounce  the  sentence — that  you  be 
hung  by  the  neck  until  you  are  dead.  The  Lord  be  merciful  to 
your  soul  !" 

"  Amen  !"  said  all  present. 

"  Thank  ye,"  murmured  Bob. 

"  We  will  seal  up  the  property  of  the  deceased,"  said  the  judge, 
"  and  then  proceed  to  our  painful  duty." 

He  called  for  a  light,  and  he  and  the  procurator  and  corregi 
dors  sealed  up  the  papers  and  the  money. 

"  Has  any  one  aught  to  allege  why  the  sentence  should  not  be 
put  in  execution  ?"  said  the  Alcalde,  with  a  glance  at  me. 

"  He  saved  my  life,  judge  and  fellow-citizens,"  cried  I,  deeply 
moved. 

Bob  shook  his  head  mournfully. 

"  Let  us  go,  then,  in  God's  name,"  said  the  judge. 

Without  another  word  being  spoken,  we  left  the  house  and 
mounted  our  horses.  The  judge  had  brought  a  Bible  with  him ; 
and  he  rode  on.  a  little  in  front,  with  Bob,  doing  his  best  to  pre 
pare  him  for  the  eternity  to  which  he  was  hastening.  Bob  list- 


265 

ened  attentively  for  some  time ;  but  at  last  he  seemed  to  get 
impatient,  and  pushed  his  mustang  into  so  fast  a  tflot,  that  for  a 
moment  we  suspected  him  of  wishing  to  escape  the  doom  he  had 
so  eagerly  sought.  But  it  was  only  that  he  feared  the  fever 
might  return  before  the  expiration  of  the  short  time  he  had  to 
live. 

After  an  hour's  ride,  we  came  to  the  enormous  live  oak  distin 
guished  as  the  Patriarch.  Two  or  three  of  the  men  dismounted, 
and  held  aside  the  moss-covered  branches  which  swept  the  ground, 
and  formed  a  complete  curtain  round  the  tree.  The  party,  rode 
through  the  opening  thus  made,  and  drew  up  in  a  circle  beneath 
the  huge  leafy  dome.  In  the  centre  of  this  ring  stood  Bob, 
trembling  like  an  aspen-leaf,  and  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  a  small 
mound  of  fresh  earth,  partly  concealed  by  the  branches,  and 
which  had  escaped  my  notice  on  my  former  visit  to  the  tree.  It 
was  the  grave  of  the  murdered  man. 

A  magnificent  burial 'place  was  that:  no  poet  could  have 
dreamt  or  desired  a  better.  Above,  the  huge  vault,  with  its  natu 
ral  frettings  and  arches ;  below,  the  greenest,  freshest  grass ; 
around,  an  eternal  half  light,  streaked  and  varied,  and  radiant  as 
a  rainbow.  It  was  imposingly  beautiful. 

Bob,  the  judge,  and  the  corregidors,  remained  sitting  on  their 
horses,  but  several  of  the  other  men  dismounted.  One  of  the 
latter  cut  the  lasso  from  Bob's  saddle,  and  threw  an  end  of  it  over 
one  of  the  lowermost  branches  ;  then  uniting  the  two  ends,  formed 
them  into  a  strong  noose,  which  he  left  dangling  from  the  bough. 
This  simple  preparation  completed,  the  Alcalde  took  off  his  hat 
and  folded  his  hands.  The  others  followed  his  example. 

"  Bob !"  said  the  judge  to  the  unfortunate  criminal,  whose 
head  was  bowed  on  his  horse's  mane  ;  "  Bob !  we  will  pray  for 
your  poor  soul,  which  is  about  to  part  from  your  sinful  body." 

Bob  raised  his  head.  "  I  had  something  to  say,"  exclaimed  he 
in  a  wondering  and  husky  tone.  "  Something  I  wanted  to  say." 

"  What  have  you  to  say  ?" 

Bob  stared  around  him ;  his  lips  moved,  but  no  word  escaped 
him-  His  spirit  was  evidently  no  longer  with  things  of  this 
earth. 


256 

"  Bob !"  said  the  judge  again,  "  we  will  pray  for  your  soul." 

"  Pray  !  pray  !"  groaned  he.     "  I  shall  need  it." 

In  slow  and  solemn  accents,  and  with  great  feeling,  the  judge 
uttered  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Bob 'repeated  every  word  after  him 
When  it  was  ended — 

"  God  be  merciful  to  your  soul  !"  exclaimed  the  judge. 

"  Amen  !"  said  all  present. 

One  of  the  corregidors  now  passed  the  noose  of  the  lasso  round 
Bob's  neck,  another  bound  his  eyes,  a  third  person  drew  his  feet 
out  of  the  stirrups,  while  a  fourth  stepped  behind  his  horse  with 
a  heavy  riding-whip.  All  was  done  in  the  deepest  silence  ;  not 
a  word  was  breathed ;  not  a  footfall  heard  on  the  soft,  yielding 
turf.  There  was  something  awful  a«d  oppressive  in  the  profound 
stillness  that  reigned  in  the  vast  enclosure. 

The  whip  fell.  The  horse  gave  a  spring  forwards.  At  the 
same  moment  Bob  made  a  desperate  clutch  at  the  bridle,  and  a 
loud  hold  "  Hold  !"  burst  in  thrilling  tones  from  the  lips  of  the 
judge. 

It  was  too  late  ;  Bob  was  already  hanging.  The  judge  pushed 
forward,  nearly  riding  down  the  man  who  held  the  whip,  and 
seizing  Bob  in  his  arms,  raised  him  on  his  own  horse,  supporting 
him  with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  strove  to  unfasten 
the  noose.  His  whole  gigantic  frame  trembled  with  eagerness 
and  exertion.  The  procurador,  corregidors,  all,  in  short,  stood 
in  open-mouthed  wonder  at  this  strange  proceeding. 

"  Whisky  !  whisky  !  Has  nobody  any  whisky  ?"  shouted  the 
judge. 

One  of  the  men  sprang  forward  with  a  whisky-flask,  another 
supported  the  body,  and  a  third  the  feet  of  the  half-hanged  man, 
while  the  judge  poured  a  few  drops  of  spirits  into  his  mouth. 
The  cravat,  which  had  not  been  taken  off,  had  hindered  the 
breaking  of  the  neck.  At  last  Bob  opened  his  eyes,  and  gazed 
vacantly  around  him. 

"  Bob,"  said  the  iudge,  "you  had  something  to  say  Vadn't  yon, 
about  Johnny  ?" 

"  Johnny,"  gasped  Bob  j  "  Johnny." 
"  What's  become  of  him  ?" 


One  of  the  men  sprang  forward  with  a  whiskey-flask,  another  supported  the  body 
and  a  third  the  feet  of  the  half-hanged  man,  while  the  judge  poured  a  few  drops  of 
spirits  into  his  mouth.— PAGE  256. 


257 

*  He's  gone  to  San  Antonio,  Johnny." 

"  To  San  Antonio  !"  repeated  the  judge,  with  an  expression  of 
great  alarm  overspreading  his  features. 

"  To  San  4-Qtonio — to  Padre  Jose,"  continued  Bob  ;  "  a  Catho 
lic.  Beware !" 

"  Catholic  1"  exclaimed  the  judge.  The  words  he  had  heard 
geemed  to  deprive  him  of  all  strength.  His  arms  fell  slowly  and 
gradually  by  his  side,  and  Bob  was  again  hanging  from  the  lasso. 

"  A  Catholic  !  a  traitor  !"  repeated  several  of  the  men ;  ';  a  citi 
zen  and  a  traitor !" 

"  So  it  is,  men !"  exclaimed  the  judge.  We've  no  time  to 
lose,"  continued  he,  in  a  harsh,  hurried  voice  ;  "  no  time  to  lose  j 
we  must  catch  him." 

"  That  must  we,"  said  several  voices,  "  or  our  plans  are  betray 
ed  to  the  Mexicans." 

"  After  him  immediately  to  San  Antonio !"  cried  the  judge, 
with  the  same  desperately  hurried  manner. 

"  To  San  Antonio !"  repeated  the  men,  pushing  their  way 
through  the  curtain  of  moss  and  branches.  As  soon  as  they 
were  outside,  those  who  were  dismounted  sprang  into  the  saddle, 
and,  without  another  word,  the  whole  party  galloped  away  in 
the  direction  of  San  Antonio. 

The  judge  alone  remained,  seemingly  lost  in  thought;  his 
countenance  pale  and  anxious,  and  his  eyes  following  the  riders. 
His  reverie,  however,  had  lasted  but  a  very  few  seconds,  when  he 
seized  my  arm. 

'*  Hasten  to  my  house,"  quoth  he  ;  "  lose  no  time,  don't  spare 
horse-flesh.  Take  Ptoly.and  afresh  beast;  hurry  over  to  San 
Felipe,  and  tell  Stephen  Austin  what  has  happened,  and  what 
you  have  seen  and  heard. 

"  Off  with  you  at  once,  if  you  would  do  Texas  a  service.  Bring 
my  wife  and  daughter  back." 

And  so  saying,  he  literally  drove  me  from  under  the  tree,  push 
ing  me  out  with  his  hands  and  feet.  I  was  so  startled  at  the 
expression  of  violent  impatience  and  anxiety  which  his  features 
assumed,  that,  without  venturing  to  make  further  objection  I 
•truck  the  spurs  into  my  mustang  and  galloped  off. 

22* 


258 

I  rode  full  speed  to  the  judge's  house,  and  thence  on  a  fresh 
norse  to  San  Felipe,  where  I  found  Colonel  Austin,  who  seemed 
much  alarmed  at  the  news  I  brought  him,  had  horses  saddled,  and 
sent  round  to  all  the  neighbors.  Before  the  wife  and  step-daugh 
ter  of  the  judge  had  made  their  preparations  to  accompany  me 
home,  he  started  with  fifty  armed  men  to  San  Antonio. 

I  escorted  the  ladies  to  their  house,  but  scarcely  had  we 
arrived  there,  when  I  was  seized  with  a  fever,  the  result  of  my 
recent  fatigues  and  sufferings.  For  some  days  my  life  was  in 
danger,  but  at  last  a  good  constitution,  and  the  kindest  and  most 
watchful  nursing,  triumphed  over  the  disease.  As  soon  as  I  was 
able  to  mount  a  horse,  I  set  out  for  Mr.  Neal's  plantation,  in 
company  with  his  huntsman,  Anthony,  who,  after  spending  many 
days,  and  riding  over  many  hundreds  of  miles  of  ground  in  quest 
of  me,  had  at  last  found  me  out. 

Our  way  led  up  past  the  Patriarch,  and,  as  we  approached  it, 
we  saw  innumerable  birds  of  prey,  and  carrion  crows  circling 
round  it,  croaking  and  screaming.  I  turned  my  eyes  in  another 
direction ;  but,  nevertheless,  I  felt  a  strange  sort  of  longing  to 
revisit  the  tree.  Anthony  had  ridden  on,  and  was  already  hid 
den  from  view  behind  its  branches.  Presently  I  heard  him  give 
a  loud  shout  of  exultation.  I  jumped  off  my  horse,  and  led  it 
through  a  small  opening  in  the  leafage. 

Some  forty  paces  from  me  the  body  of  a  man  was  hanging  by 
a  lasso  from  the  very  same  branch  on  which  Bob  had  been  hung. 
It  was  not  Bob,  however,  for  the  corpse  was  much  too  short  and 
email  for  him. 

I  drew  nearer.    "  Johnny  !"  I  exclaimed.    "  That's  Johnny  !" 

"  It  was"  answered  Anthony.  "  Thank  Heaven,  there's  an 
end  of  him !" 

I  shuddered.     "  But  where  is  Bob  ?" 

«  Bob  ?"  cried  Anthony.     "  Bob  !" 

He  glanced  towards  the  grave.  The  mound  of  earth  seemed 
to  me  larger  and  higher  than  when  I  had  last  seen  it.  Doubt 
less  the  murderer  lay.  beside  his  victim. 


259 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


THE     ATTACK  —  THE     REPULSE. 

I  HAD  been  but  three  or  four  months  in  Texas,  when,  in  cons* 
queuce  of  the  oppressive  conduct  of  the  Mexican  military  author!* 
.ties,  symptoms  of  discontent  showed  themselves,  and  several  skir- 
mishes  occurred  between  the  American  settlers  and  the  soldiery. 
The  two  small  forts  of  Velasco  and  Nacogdoches  were  taken  by  the 
former,  and  their  garrisons  and  a  couple  of  field-officers  made  pri 
soners  ;  soon  after  which,  however,  the  quarrel  was  made  up  by  the 
intervention  of  Col.  Austin  on  the  part  of  Texas,  and  Col.  Mejia 
on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  authorities. 

But  in  the  year  '33  occurred  Santa  Anna's  defection  from  the 
liberal  party,  and  the  imprisonment  of  Stephen  F.  Austin,  the 
Texan  representative  in  the  Mexican  congress,  by  the  vice-presi 
dent,  Gomez  Farias.  This  was  followed  by  Texas  adopting  the 
constitution  of  1824,  and* declaring  itself  an  independent  state  of 
the  Mexican  republic.  Finally,  toward  the  close  of  1835,  Texas 
threw  off  the  Mexican  yoke  altogether,  voted  itself  a  free  and 
sovereign  republic,  and  prepared  to  defend  by  arms  its  newly 
asserted  liberty. 

The  first  step  to  be  taken  was  to  secure  our  communications 
with  the  United  States  by  getting  possession  of  the  sea-ports.  Gen. 
Cos  had  occupied  Galveston  harbor,  and  built  and  garrisoned  a 
block-fort,  nominally  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  the  customs  laws, 
but  in  reality  with  a  view  to  cut  off  our  communications  with  New 
Orleans  and  the  States.  This  fort  it  was  necessary  to  get  posses 
sion  of,  and  my  friend  Fanning  and  myself  were  appointed  to  that 


duty  by  the  Alcalde,  who  "had  taken  a  prominent  part  in  all  that 
had  occurred. 

Our  whole  force  and  equipment  wherewith  to  accomplish  this 
enterprise,  consisted  in  a  sealed  despatch,  to  be  opened"  at  the 
town  of  Columbia,  and  a  half-breed,  named  Agostino  who  acted 
as  our  guide.  On  reaching  Columbia,  we  called  together  the 
principal  inhabitants  of  the  place,  and  of  the  neighboring  towns 
of  Bolivar  and  Marion,  unsealed  the  letter  in  their  presence,  and 
six  hours  afterwards  the  forces  therein  specified  were  assembled, 
and  we  were  on  our  march  toward  Galveston.  The  next  day  the 
fort  was  taken,  and  the  garrison  made  prisoners,  without  our  losing 
a  single  man. 

We  sent  off  our  guide  to  the  government  at  San  Felipe  with 
news  of  our  success.  In  nine  days  he  returned,  bringing  us  the 
thanks  of  Congress,  and  fresh  orders.  We  were  to  leave  a  garri 
son  in  the  fort,  and  then  ascend  Trinity  River,  and  march  toward 
San  Antonio  de  Bexar.  This  route  was  all  the  more  agreeable 
to  Fanning  and  myself,  as  it  would  bring  us  into  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  haciendas,  or  estates,  of  which  we  had  some  time 
previously  obtained  a  grant  from  the  Texan  government ;  and  we 
did  not  doubt  that  we  were  indebted  to  our  friend  the  Alcalde  for 
the  orders  which  thus  conciliated  our  private  convenience  with 
our  public  duty. 

As  we  marched  along  we  found  the  whole  country  in  commotion, 
the  settlers  all  arming,  and  hastening  to  the  distant  place  of  ren 
dezvous.  We  arrived  at  Trinity  River  one  afternoon,  and  imme 
diately  sent  messengers  for  forty  miles  in  all  directions  to  summon 
the  inhabitants.  At  the  period  in  question,  the  plantations  ia 
that  part  of  the  country  were  very  few  and  far  between,  but  never 
theless  by  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  we  had  got  together  four- 
and-thirty  men,  mounted  on  mustangs,  each  equipped  with  rifle 
and  bowie-knife,  powder-horn  and  bullet-bag,  and  furnished  with 
provisions  for  several  days.  With  these  we  started  for  San  An 
tonio  de  Bexar,  a  march  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  through 
trackless  prairies  intersected  with  rivers  and  streams,  which, 
although  not  quite  so  big  as  the  Mississippi  or  Potomac,  were  yet 
deep  and  wide  enough  to  have  offered  serious  impediment  ta 


261 

regular  armies.  But  to  Texan  farmers  anl  backwoods-men,  they 
were  trifling '' obstacles.  Those  we  could  not  wade  through  we 
swam  over ;  and  in  aue  time,  and  without  any  incident  worthy  of 
note,  reached  the  appointed  place  of  rendezvous,  which  was  on  the 
river  Salado,  about  fifteen  miles  from  San  Antonio,  the  principal 
city  of  the  province.  This  latter  place  it  was  intended  to  attack 
— an  enterprise  of  some  boldness  and  risk,  considering  that  the 
town  was  protected  by  a  strong  fort,  amply  provided  with  heavy 
artillery,  and  had  a  garrison  of  nearly  three  thousand  men,  com 
manded  by  officers  who  had,  for  the  most  part,  distinguished  them* 
selves  in  the  revolutionary  wars  against  the  Spaniards.  Our  whole 
army,  which  we  found  encamped  on  the  Salado,  under  the  com 
mand  of  General  Austin,  did  not  exceed  eight  hundred  men. 

The  day  after  that  on  which  Fanning  and  myself,  with  our  four 
and  thirty  recruits,  reached  headquarters,  a  council  of  war  was 
held,  and  it  was  resolved  to  advance  as  far  as  the  mission  of  Santa 
Espada.  The  advanced  guard  was  to  push  forward  immediately ; 
the  main  body  would  follow  the  next  day.  Fanning  and  myself 
were  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  vanguard,  in  conjunction 
with  Mr.  Wharton,  a  wealthy  planter," who  had  brought  a  strong 
party  of^ volunteers  with  him,  and  whose  mature  age  and  cool  judg 
ment,  it  was  thought,  would  counterbalance  any  excess  of  youthful 
heat  and  impetuosity  on  our  part.  Selecting  ninety-two  men  out 
of  the  eight  hundred,  who,  to  a  man,  volunteered  to  accompany 
us,  we  set  out  for  the  mission. 

These  missions  are  a  sort  of  picket-houses  or  outposts  of  the 
Catholic  church,  and  are  found  in  great  numbers  in  all  the  frontier 
provinces  of  Spanish  America,  especially  in  Texas,  Santa  Fe,  and 
Cohahuila.  They  are  usually  of  sufficient  strength  to  afford  their 
inmates  security  against  any  predatory  party  of  Indians  or  other 
marauders,  and  are  occupied  by  priests,  who,  while  using  their 
endeavors  to  spread  the  doctrines  of  the  church  of  Rome,  act  also 
as  spies  and  agents  of  the  Mexican  government. 

On  reaching  San  Espada  we  held  a  consultation  as  to  the  pro 
priety  of  remaining  there  until  the  general  came  up,  or  of  advan 
cing  at  once  toward  the  river.  Wharton  inclined  to  the  former 
plan,  and  it  was  certainly  the  most  prudent,  for  the  mission  wa§ 


262 

*  strong  building,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  and  might  hare  b*ui 
held  against  very  superior  numbers.  Fanning  and  I,  however, 
did  not  like  the  idea  of  being  cooped  up  in  a  house,  and  at  last 
Wharton  yielded.  We  left  our  horses  and  mustangs  in  the  charge 
of  eight  men,  ajod  with  the  remainder  set  out  in  the  direction  of 
the  Salado,  which  flows  from  north  to  south,  a  third  of  a  mile  to 
the  westward  of  the  mission.  About  half-way  between  the  latter 
and  the  river,  was  a  small  group,  or  island,  of  muskeet  trees,  the 
only  object  that  broke  the  uniformity  of  the  prairie.  The  bank 
of  the  river  on  our  side  was  tolerably  steep,  about  eight  or  ten 
feet  high,  hollowed  out  here  and  there,  and  covered  with  a  thick 
network  of  wild  vines.  The  Salado  at  this  spot  describes  a  sort 
of  bow-shaped  curve,  with  a  ford  at  either  end.  by  which  alone  the 
river  can  be  passed,  for  although  not  very  broad,  it  is  rapid  and 
deep.  We  resolved  to  take  up  a  position  within  this  bow.  calcu 
lating  that  we  might  manage  to  defend  the  two  fords,  which  were 
not  above  a  quarter  of  a  mile  apart.  ' 

At  the  same  time  we  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  dangers  of  such 
a  position,  and  of  the  almost  certainty  that  if  the  enemy  managed 
to  cross  the  river,  we  should  be  surrounded  and  cut  off.  But  our 
success  on  the  few  occasions  on  which  we  had  hitherto  come  to 
blows  with  the  Mexicans,  at  Velasco,  at  Nacogdoches,  and  Gralves- 
tion,  had  inspired  us  with  so  much  confidence,  that  we  considered 
ourselves  a  match  for  thousands  of  such  foes,  and  actually  began 
to  wish  the  enemy  would  attack  us  before  our  main  body  came  up. 
We  reconnoitred  the  ground,  stationed  a  picket  of  twelve  men  at 
each  ford,  and  an  equal  number  in  the  island  of  muskeet  trees ; 
and  established  ourselves  with  the  remainder  among  the  vines  and 
in  the  hollows  on  the  river  bank. 

The  commissariat  department  of  the  Texan  army,  was,  as  may 
be  supposed,  not  yet  placed  upon  any  very  regular  footing.  -In 
fact,  every  man,  was,  for  the  present,  his  own  commissary-general. 
Finding  our  stock  of  provisions  to  be  very  small,  we  sent  out  a 
party  of  foragers,  who  soon  returned  with  three  sheep  which  they 
had  taken  from  a  rajicho,  within  a  mile  of  San  Antonio.  An  old 
priest,  whom  they  found  there,  had  threatened  them  with  the 
anger  of  Heaven  and  of  General  Cos  ;  but  they  paid  little  atten- 


268 

tion  to  his  denunciations,  and,  throwing  down  three  dollars,  walked 
off  with  the  sheep.  The  priest  became  furious,  got  upon  his  mule, 
and  trotted  away  in  the  direction  of  the  city  to  complain  to  Gen. 
Cos  of  the  misconduct  of  the  heretics. 

After  this  we  made  no  doubt  that  we  should  soon  have  a  visit 
from  the  worthy  Dons.  Nevertheless  the  evening  and  the  night 
passed  away  without  incident.  Day  broke — still  no  signs  of  the 
Mexicans.  This  treacherous  sort  of  calm,  we  thought,  might  fore 
bode  a  storm,  and  we  did  not  allow  it  to  lull  us  into  security.  We 
let  the  men  get  their  breakfast,  which  they  had  hardly  finished, 
when  the  picket  from  the  outer  ford  came  in  with  news  that  a 
strong  body  of  cavalry  was  approaching  the  river,  and  that  their 
vanguard  was  already  in  the  hollow  way  leading  to  the  ford.  We 
had  scarcely  received  this  intelligence  when  we  heard  the  blare 
of  the  trumpets,  and  the  next  moment  we  saw  the  officers  push 
their  horses  up  the  declivitous  bank,  closely  followed  by  their  men, 
whom  they  formed  up  in  the  prairie.  We  counted  six  smal\ 
squadrons,  about  three  hundred  men  in  all.  They  were  the 
Durango  dragoons — smart  troops  enough  to  all  appearance,  capi 
tally  mounted  and  equipped,  and  armed  with  carbines  and  sabres. 

Although  the  enemy  had  doubtless  reconnoitered  from  the 
opposite  shore,  and  ascertained  our  position,  he  could  not  form  any 
accurate  idea  of  our  numbers,  for  with  a  view  to  deceive  him,  we 
kept  the  men  in  constant  motion,  sometimes  showing  a  part  of 
them  on  the  prairie,  then  causing  them  to  disappear  again  behind 
the  vines  and  bushes.  This  was  all  very  knowing  for  young 
soldiers  such  we  were ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  we  had  committed 
a  grievous  .error  and  sinned  against  all  established  military  rules, 
by  not  placing  a  picket  on  the  further  side  of  the  river,  to  warn 
us  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  and  the  direction  in  which  he 
was  coming.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  if  we  had  had  earlier 
notice  of  their  approach,  thirty  or  forty  good  marksmen — and  al] 
our  people  were  that — might  not  only  have  delayed*  the  advance 
of  the  Mexicans,  but  perhaps  even  totally  disgusted  them  of  their 
attempt  to  cross  the  Salado.  The  hollow  way  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river  leading  to  the  ford,  wag  narrow  and  tolerably  steep, 
»ud  the  bank  at  least  six  times  as  high  as  on  our  side.  Nothing 


264 

would  have  been  easier  than  to  have  stationed  a  party,  so  as  to 
pick  off  the  cavalry  as  they  wound  through  this  sort  of  pass,  and 
emerged  two  by  two  upon  the  shore.  Our  error,  however,  did 
not  strike  us  till  it  was  too  late  to  repair  it ;  so  we  were  fain  to 
console  ourselves  with  the  reflection  that  the  Mexicans  would  be 
much  more  likely  to  attribute  our  negligence  to  an  excess  of 
confidence  in  our  resources,  than  to  inexperience  in  military 
matters,  which  was  its  real  cause.  We  resolved  to  do  our  best 
to  merit  the  good  opinion  which  we  thus  supposed  them  to  enter 
tain  of  us. 

When  the  whole  of  the  dragoons  had  crossed  the  water,  they 
m'arched  on  for  a  short  distance  in  an  easterly  direction  ;  then, 
wheeling  to  the  right,  proceeded  southward,  until  within  some  five 
hundred  paces  of  us,  where  they  halted.  In  this  position  the  lino 
of  cavalry  formed  the  chord  of  the  arc  described  by  the  river,  and 
occupied  by  us. 

As  soon  as  they  halted,  they  opened  their  fire,  although  they 
could  not  see  one  of  us,  for  we  were  completely  sheltered  by  the 
bank.  Our  Mexican  heroes,  however,  apparently  did  not  think 
it  necessary  to  be  within  sight  or  range  of  their  opponents  before 
firing,  for  they  gave  us  a  rattling  volley  at  a  distance  which  no 
carbine  would  carry.  This  done,  others  galloped  on  for  about  a 
hundred  yards,  halted  again,  loaded,  fired  another  volley,  and 
then  giving  another  gallop,  fired  again.  They  continued  this  sort 
of  manege  till  they  found  themselves  within  two  hundred  and 
fifty  paces  of  us,  and  then  appeared  inclined  to  take  a  little  time- 
for  reflection. 

We  kept  ourselves  perfectly  still.  The  dragoons  evidently  did 
not  like  the  aspect  of  matters.  Our  remaining  concealed  and  not 
answering  their  fire,  seemed  to  bother  them.  We  saw  the  officers 
taking  a  deal  of  pains  to  encourage  their  men,  and  at  last  two 
squadrons  advanced,  the  others  following  more  slowly,  a  short  dis 
tance  in  the  rear.  This  was  the  moment  we  had  waited  for.  No 
sooner  had  the  dragoons  got  into  a  canter,  than  six  of  our  men 
who  had  received  orders  to  that  effect,  sprang  up  the  bank,  took 
eteady  aim  at  the  officers,  fired,  and  then  jumped  down  again. 

As  we  had  expected,  the  small  numbers  that  had  shown  them 


265 

selves,  encouraged  the  Mexicans  to  advance.  They  seemed  at 
first  taken  rather  aback  by  the  fall  of  four  of  their  officers ;  but 
nevertheless,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  they  came  thundering 
along  full  speed.  They  were  within  sixty  or  seventy  yards  of  us, 
when  Fanning  and  thirty  of  our  riflemen  ascended  the  bank,  and 
with  a  coolness  and  precision  that  would  have  done  credit  to 
khe  most  veteran  troops,  poured  a  steady  fire  into  the  ranks  of 
the  dragoons. 

It  requires  some  nerve  and  courage  for  men  who  have  never 
gone  through  any  regular  military  training,  to  stand  their  ground 
singly  and  unprotected,  within  fifty  yards  of  an  advancing  line  of 
cavalry.  Our  fellows  did  it,  however,  and  fired,  not  all  at  once, 
or  in  a  hurry,  but  slowly  and  deliberately ;  a  running  fire,  every 
nhot  of  which  told.  Saddle  after  saddle  was  emptied ;  the  men, 
*s  they  had  been  ordered,  always  picking  out  the  foremost  horse 
men,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  fired,  jumping  down  the  bank  to 
reload.  When  the  whole  of  the  thirty  men  had  discharged  their 
rifles,  Wharton  and  myself,  with  the  reserve  of  six-and-thirty  more, 
took  their  places;  but  the  dragoons  had  almost  had  enough 
already,  and  we  had  scarcely  fired  ten  shots  when  they  executed 
a  right  about  turn,  with  an  uniformity  and  rapidity  which  did 
infinite  credit  to  their  drill,  and  went  off  at  a  pace  that  soon  car 
ried  them  out  of  reach  of  our  bullets.  They  had  probably  not 
expected  so  warm  a  reception.  We  saw  their  officers  doing  every 
thing  they  could  to  check  their  flight,  imploring,  threatening,  even 
cutting  at  them  with  their  sabres,  but  it  was  of  no  use  ;  if  they 
were  to  be  killed,  it  must  be  in  their  own  way,  and  they  preferred 
being  cut  down  by  their  officers  to  encountering  the  deadly  pre 
cision  of  rifles,  in  the  hands  of  men  who,  being  sure  of  hitting  a 
squirrel  at  a  hundred  yards,  were  not  likely  to  miss  a  Durango 
dragoon  at  any  point  within  range. 

Our  object  in  ordering  the  men  to  fire  slowly  was,  always  to 
have  thirty  or  forty  rifles  loaded,  wherewith  to  receive  the  enemy 
should  he  attempt  a  charge  en  masse.  But  our  first  greeting  had 
been  a  sickener,  and  it  appeared  almost  doubtful  whether  he 
would  venture  to  attack  us  again,  although  the  officers  did  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  induce  their  men  to  advance.  For  a  long 

23 


266 

lime,  neither  threats,  entreaties,  nor  reproaches,  produced  any 
effect.  We  saw  the  officers  gesticulating  furiously,  pointing  to  us 
with  their  sabres,  and  impatiently  spurring  their  horses,  till  the 
fiery  animals  plunged  and  reared,  and  sprang  with  all  four  feet 
from  the  ground.  It  is  only  just  to  say,  that  the  officers  exhib 
ited  a  degree  of  courage  far  beyond  anything  we  had  expected 
from  them.  Of  the  two  squadrons  that  charged  us,  two-thirds 
of  the  officers  had  fallen  ;  but  those  who  remained,  instead  of 
appearing  intimidated  by  their  comrades'  fate,  redoubled  their 
efforts  to  bring  their  men  forward. 

At  last  there  appeared  some  probability  of  accomplishing  this, 
after  a  most  curious  and  truly  Mexican  fashion.  Posting  them 
selves  in  front  of  their  squadrons,  they  rode  on  alone  for  a  hun 
dred  yards  or  so,  halted,  looked  round,  as  much  as  to  say — "  You 
see  there  is  no  danger  as  far  as  this,"  and  then  galloping  back, 
led  their  men  on.  Each  time  that  they  executed  this  mano3uvre, 
the  dragoons  would  advance  slowly  some  thirty  or  forty  paces, 
and  then  halt  as  simultaneously  as  if  the  word  of  command  had 
been  given.  Off  went  the  officers  again,  some  distance  to  the 
front,  and  then  back  again  to  their  men,  and  got  them  on  a  little 
further.  In  this  manner  these  heroes  were  inveigled  once  more 
to  within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  our  position. 

Of  course,  at  each  of  the  numerous  halts  which  they  made  dur 
ing  their  advance,  they  favored  us  with  a  general,  but  most  innoc 
uous  discharge  of  their  carbines ;  and  at  last,  gaining  confidence, 
I  suppose,  from  our  passiveness,  and  from  the  noise  and  smoke 
they  themselves  had  been  making,  three  squadrons  which  had  not 
yet  been  under  fire,  formed  open  column,  and  advanced  at  a  trot. 
Without  giving  them  time  to  halt  or  reflect — "  Forward ! 
Charge  !"  shouted  the  officers,  urging  their  own  horses  to  their 
utmost  speed ;  and,  following  the  impulse  thus  given,  the  three 
squadrons  came  charging  furiously  along. 

Up  sprang  thirty  of  our  men  to  receive  them.  Their  orders 
were  to  fire  slowly,  and  not  throw  away  a  shot,  but  the  gleaming 
sabres  and  rapid  approach  of  the  dragoons  flurried  some  of  them 
and  firing  a  hasty  volley,  they  jumped  down  the  bank  again, 
This  precipitation  had  nearly  been  fatal  to  us.  Several  of  the 


267 

dragooiis  fell,  and  there  was  some  confusion  and  a  momentary 
faltering vamong  the  others;  but  they  still  came  on.  At  this 
critical  moment,  Wharton  and  myself,  with  the  reserve,  showed 
ourselves  on  the  bank.  "  Slow  and  sure — mark  your  men  !" 
shouted  we  both.  Wharton  on  the  right  and  I  on  the  left.  ^The 
command  was  obeyed :  rifle  after  rifle  cracked  off,  always  aimed 
at  the  foremost  of  the  dragoons,  and  at  every  report  a  saddle  waa 
emptied.  Before  we  had  all  fired,  Fanning  and  a  dozen  of  his 
sharpest  men  had  again  loaded,  and  were  by  our  side.  For  nearly 
a  minute  the  Mexicans  remained,  as  if  stupefied  by  our  murder 
ous  fire,  and  uncertain  whether  to  advance  or  retire ;  but  as  those 
who  attempted  the  former  were  invariably  shot  down,  they  at 
last  began  a  retreat,  which  was  soon  converted  into  a  rout.  We 
gave  them  a  farewell  volley,  which  eased  a  few  more  horses  of 
their  riders,  and  then  got  under  cover  again,  to  await  what  might 
next  occur. 

But  the  Mexican  caballeros  had  no  notion  of  coming  up  to  the 
scratch  a  third  time.  They  kept  patrolling  about  some  three  or 
four  hundred  yards  off,  and  firing  volleys  at  us,  which  they  were 
able  to  do  with  perfect  impunity,  as  at  that  distance  we  did  not 
think  proper  to  return  a  shot. 

The  skirmish  had  lasted  nearly  three  quarters  of  an  hour. 
Strange  to  say,  we  had  not  had  a  single  man  wounded,  although 
at  times  the  bullets  had  fallen  about  us  as  thick  as  hail.  We 
could  not  account  for  this.  Many  of  us  had  been  hit  by  the 
balls,  but  a  bruise  or  a  graze  of  the  skin  was  the  worst  conse 
quence  that  had  ensued.  We  were  in  a  fair  way  to  deem  our 
selves  invulnerable. 

We  were  beginning  to  think  that  the  fight  was  over  for  the 
day,  when  our  videttes  at  the  lower  ford  brought  us  the  somewhat 
unpleasant  intelligence  that  large  masses  of  infantry  were  ap 
proaching  the  river,  and  would  soon  be  in  sight.  The  words 
were  hardly  uttered,  when  the  roll  of  the  drums  and  shrill  squeak 
of  the  fifes  became  audible ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  head  of  the 
column  of  infantry,  having  crossed  the  ford,  ascended  the  sloping 
bank,  and  defiled  in  the  prairie  opposite  the  island  of  muskeet 
trees.  As  company  after  company  appeared,  we  were  able  to 


263 

!**»,  a  pretty  exact  estimate  of  their  numbers.  There  were  two 
battalions,  together  about  a  thousand  men  5  and  they  brought  a 
field-piece  with  them. 

These  were  certainly  rather  long  odds  to  be  opposed  to  seventy- 
two  men  and  three  officers  ;  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  we 
had  left  twenty  of  our  people  at  the  mission  and  in  the  island  of 
trees.  Two  battalions  of  infantry,  and  six  squadrons  of  dragoons 
—the  latter,  to  be  sure,  disheartened  and  diminished  by  the  loss 
of  some  fifty  men,  but  nevertheless  formidable  opponents,  now 
they  were  supported  by  the  foot  soldiers.  About  twenty  Mexi 
cans  to  each  of  us.  It  was  getting  past  a  joke.  We  were  all 
capital  shots,  and  most  of  us,  besides  our  rifles,  had  a  brace  of 
pistols  in  our  belts ;  but  what  were  seventy-five  rifles,  and  five  or 
six  score  of  pistols  against  a  thousand  muskets  and  bayonets,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dragoons,  and  a  field  piece  loaded  with  canis 
ter?  If  the  Mexicans  had  a  spark  of  courage  or  soldiership 
about  them,  our  fate  was  sealed.  But  it  was  exactly  this  courage 
and  soldiership  which  we  made  sure  would  be  wanting. 

Nevertheless  we,  the  officers,  could  not  repress  a  feeling  of  anx- 
ioty  and  self-reproach,  when  we  reflected  that  we  had  brought 
our  comrades  into  such  a  hazardous  predicament.  But  on  look 
ing  around  us,  our  apprehensions  vanished.  Nothing  could  ex 
ceed  the  perfect  coolness  and  confidence  with  which  the  men  were 
cleaning  and  preparing  their  rifles  for  the  approaching  conflict ; 
no  bravado — no  boasting,  talking,  or  laughing,  but  a  calm  decis 
ion  of  manner,  which  at  once  told  us,  tL*t  if  it  were  possible  to 
oTvrcome  such  odds  as  were  brought  against  us,  those  were  the 
nr  n  to  do  it. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


THE     DEAD      ALIVE. 

OUR  arrangements  for  the  approaching  struggle  were  soon  *n> 
pleted.  Fanning  and  Wharton  were  to  make  head  againsv  the 
infantry  and  cavalry.  I  was  to  capture  the  field-piece — an  eight- 
pounder. 

This  gun  was  placed  by  the  Mexicans  upon  their  extreme  left, 
close  to  the  river,  the  shores  of  which  it  commanded  for  a  consid 
erable  distance.  The  bank  on  which  we  were  posted  was,  as 
before  mentioned,  indented  by  caves  and  hollows,  and  covered 
with  a  thick  tapestry  of  vines  and  other  plants,  which  was  now 
very  useful  in  concealing  us  from  the  artillery-men.  The  latter 
made  a  pretty  good  guess  at  our  position  however,  and  at  the 
first  discharge,  the  canister  whizzed  past  us  at  a  very  short  dis 
tance.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  lose,  for  one  well-directed 
shot  might  exterminate  half  of  us.  Followed  by  a  dozen  men,  I 
worked  my  way  as  well  as  I  could  through  the  labyrinth  of  vines 
and  bushes,  and  was  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the  gun, 
when  it  was  again  fired.  No  one  was  hurt,  although  the  shot  was 
evidently  intended  for  my  party.  The  enemy  could  not  see  us  : 
but  the  motion  of  the  vines,  as  we  passed  through  them,  had  be 
trayed  our  whereabout :  so,  perceiving  that  we  were  discovered, 
I  sprang  up  the  bank  into  the  prairie,  followed  by  my  men,  to 
whom  I  shouted,  above  all  to  aim  at  the  artillerymen. 

I  had  raised  my  own  rifle  to  my  shoulder,  when  I  let  it  fall 
again  in  astonishment  at  an  apparition  that  presented  itself  to 
my  view.  This  was  a  tall,  lean,  wild  figure,  with  a  face  over- 

23* 


270 

grown  by  a  long  beard  that  hung  down  upon  his  breast,  and 
dressed  in  a  leather  cap,  jacket,  and  mocassins.  Where  this  man 
had  sprung  from  was  a  perfect  riddle.  He  was  unknown  to  any 
of  us,  although  I  had  some  vague  recollection  of  having  seen  him 
before,  but  where  or  when,  I  could  not  call  to  mind.  He  had  a 
long  rifle  in  his  hands,  which  he  must  have  fired  once  already,  for 
one  of  the  artillerymen  lay  dead  by  the  gun.  At  the  moment  I 
first  caught  sight  of  him,  he  shot  down  another,  and  then  began 
reloading  with  a  rapid  dexterity,  that  proved  him  to  be  well  used 
to  the  thing.  My  men  were  as  much  astonished  as  I  was  by  this 
strange  apparition,  which  appeared  to  have  started  out  of  the 
<<arth ;  and  for  a  few  seconds  they  forgot  to  fire,  and  stood  gaz 
ing  at  the  stranger.  The  latter  did  not  seem  to  approve  of  their 
inaction 

"  D yer  eyes,  yer  starin'  fools,"  shouted  he,  in  a  rough 

hoarse  voice,  "don't  ye  see  them  art'lerymen?  Why  don't  ye, 
knock  'em  on  the  head  ?" 

It  certainly  was  not  the  moment  to  remain  idle.  We  fired  ; 
but  our  astonishment  had  thrown  us  off  our  balance,  and  we 
nearly  all  missed.  We  sprang  down  the  bank  again  to  load,  just 
as  the  men  serving  the  gun  were  slewing  it  round,  so  as  to  bring 
it  to  bear  upon  us.  Before  this  was  accomplished,  we  were  under 
cover,  and  the  stranger  had  the  benefit  of  the  discharge,  of  which 
he  took  no  more  notice  than  if  he  had  borne  a  charmed  life. 
Again  we  heard  the  crack  of  his  rifle,  and  when,  having  reloaded, 
we  once  more  ascended  the  bank,  he  was  taking  aim  at  the  last 
artilleryman,  who  fell,  as  his  companions  had  done. 

"  D ye,  for  laggin'  fellers  !"  growled  the  stranger.  t:  Why 

don't  ye  take  that  'ere  big  gun  ?" 

Our  small  numbers,  the  bad  direction  of  our  first  volley,  but, 
above  all,  the  precipitation  with  which  we  had  jumped  down  the 
bank  after  firing  it,  had  so  encouraged  the  enemy,  that  a  company 
of  infantry  drawn  up  some  distance  in  the  rear  of  the  field-piece, 
fired  a  volley  and  advanced  at  double-quick  time,  part  of  them 
making  a  small  detour  with  the  intention  of  cutting  us  off  from 
our  friends.  At  this  moment,  we  saw  Fanning  and  thirty  men 
coming  along  the  river  bank  to  our  assistance  ;  so  without  mind 


271 

ing  the  Mexicans  who  were  getting  behind  us,  we  rushed  forward 
to  within  twenty  paces  of  those  in  our  front,  and  taking  steady 
aim,  brought  down  every  man  his  bird.  The  sort  of  desperate 
coolness  with  which  this  was  done,  produced  the  greater  effect  on 
our  opponents,  as  being  something  quite  out  of  their  way.  They 
would,  perhaps,  have  stood  firm  against  a  volley  from  five  times 
our  number,  at  a  rather  greater  distance ;  but  they  did  not  like 
having  their  mustaches  singed  by  our  powder ;  and  after  a 
moment's  wavering  and  hesitation,  they  shouted  out  "  Diabolus  ! 
Diabolus !"  and  throwing  away  their  muskets,  broke  into  a  pre 
cipitate  flight. 

Fannyig  and  Wharton  now  came  up  with  all  the  men.  Under 
cover  of  the  infantry's  advance,  the  gun  had  been  re-manned,  but, 
luckily  for  us,  only  by  infantry  soldiers  ;  for  had  there  been  artil 
lerymen  to  seize  the  moment  when  we  were  all  standing  exposed 
on  tlu  prairie,  they  might  have  diminished  our  numbers  not  a 
little.  The  fuse  was  already  burning,  and  we  had  just  time  to 
get  under  the  bank  when  the  gun  went  off.  Up  we  jumped  again, 
and  looked  about  us  to  see  what  was  next  to  be  done. 

Although  hitherto  all  the  advantages  had  been  on  our  side,  our 
situation,  was  still  a  very  perilous  one.  The  company  we  had  put 
to  flight  had  rejoined  its  battalion,  which  was  now  beginning  to 
advance  by  echelon  of  companies.  The  second  battalion,  which 
was  rather  farther  from  us,  was  moving  forward  in  like  manner, 
and  in  a  parallel  direction.  We  should  probably,  therefore,  have 
to  resist  the  attack  of  a  dozen  companies,  one  after  the  other  ;  and 
it  was  to  be  feared  that  the  Mexicans  would  finish  by  getting  over 
their  panic  terror  of  our  rifles,  and  exchange,  their  distant  and 
ineffectual  platoon-firing  for  a  charge  with  the  bayonet,  in  which 
their  superior  numbers  would  tell.  We  observed,  also,  that  the 
cavalry,  which  had  been  keeping  itself  at  a  safe  distance,  was  now 
put  in  motion,  and  formed  up  close  to  the  island  of  muskeet  trees, 
to  which  the  right  flank  of  the  infantry  was  also  extending  itself. 
Thence  .they  had  clear  ground  for  a  charge  down  upon  us. 

Meanwhile,  what  had  become  of  the  twelve  men  whom  we  had 
loft  in  the  island?  Were  they  still  there,  or  had  they  fallen  back 
upon  the  mission  in  dismay  at  the  overwhelming  force  of  the 


272 

Mexicans  ?  If  the  latter,  it  was  a  bad  business  for  us,  for  they 
were  all  capital  shots,  and  well  armed  with  rifles  and  pistols.  We 
heartily  wished  we  had  brought  them  with  us,  as  well  as  the  eight 
men  at  the  mission.  Cut  off  from  us  as  they  were,  what  could 
they  do  against  the  whole  of  the  cavalry  and  two  companies  of 
infantry  which  were  now  approaching  the  island  ?  To  add  to  our 
difficulties,  our  ammunition  was  beginning  to  run  short.  Many 
of  us  had  only  had  enough  powder  and  ball  for  fifteen  or  sixteen 
charges,  which  were  now  reduced  to  six  or  seven.  It  was  no  use 
desponding,  however ;  and,  after  a  hurried  consultation,  it  was 
agreed  that  Fanning  and  Wharton  should  open  a  fire  upon  the 
enemy's  centre,  while  I  made  a  dash  at  the  field-piece  before  any 
more  infantry  had  time  to  come  up  for  its  protection. 

The  infantry-men  who  had  re-manned  the  gun  were  by  this  time 
shot  down,  and,  as  none  had  come  to  replace  them,  it  was  served  by 
an  officer  alone.  Just  as  I  gave  the  order  to  advance  to  the  twenty 
men  who  were  to  follow  me,  this  officer  fell.  Simultaneously  with 
his  fall,  I  heard  a  sort  of  jrell  behind  me,  and  turning  round,  saw 
that  it  proceeded  from  the  wild  spectre-looking  stranger,  whom  I 
had  lost  sigh';  of  during  the  last  few  minutes.  A  ball  had  struck 
him,' and  b<i  fell  heavily  to  the  ground ;  his  rifle,  which  had  just 
been  discharged,  and  was  still  smoking  from  muzzle  and  touchhole, 
clutched  convulsively  in  both  hands  ;  his  features  distorted,  his 
eyes  rolling  frightfully.  There  was  something  in  the  expression 
of  his  face  at  that  moment  which  brought  back  to  me,  in  vivid 
coloring,  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  striking  incidents  of  my  resi 
dence  in  Texas.  Had  I  not  myself  seen  him  hung,  I  could  havo 
sworn  that  Sob  Rock  the  murderer  now  lay  before  me. 

A  second  look  at  the  man  gave  additional  force  to  this  idea. 

"  Bob  !"  I  exclaimed. 

"  Bob !"  repeated  the  wounded  man,  in  a  broken  voice,  and 
with  a  look  of  astonishment,  almost  of  dismay.  "  Who  calls 
Bob  ?" 

A  wild  gleam  shot  from  his  eyes,  which  the  next  instant  closed. 
He  had  become  insensible. 

It  was  neither  the  time  nor  the  place  to  indulge  in  speculations 
on  this  singular  resurrection  of  a  man  whose  execution  I  hM 


273 

myself  witnessed.  "With  twelve  hundred  foes  around  us,  we  had 
plenty  to  occupy  all  our  thoughts  and  attention.  My  people  were 
already  masters  of  the  gun,  and  some  of  them  drew  it  forward  and 
pointed  it  against  the  enemy,  while  the  others  spread  out  right 
and  left,  to  protect  it  with  their  rifles.  I  was  busy  loading  the 
piece  when  an  exclamation  of  surprise  from  one  of  the  men  made 
me  look  up. 

There  seemed  to  be  something  extraordinary  happening  among 
the  Mexicans,  to  judge  from  the  degree  of  confusion  which  sud 
denly  showed  itself  in  their  ranks,  and  which,  beginning  with  the 
cavalry  and  right  flank  of  the  infantry,  soon  became  general 
throughout  their  whole  force.  It  was  a  sort  of  wavering  and 
unsteadiness  which,  to  us,  was  quite  unaccountable,  for  Fanning 
and  Wharton  had  not  yet  fired  twenty  shots,  and,  indeed,  had 
only  just  come  within  range  of  the  enemy.  Not  knowing  what  it 
could  portend,  I  called  in  my  men,  and  stationed  them  round  the 
gun,  which  I  had  double-shotted,  and  stood  ready  to  fire. 

The  confusion  in  the  Mexican  ranks  increased.  For  about  a 
minute  they  waved  and  reeled  to  and  fro,  as  if  uncertain  which 
way  to  go  ;  and  at  last,  the  cavalry  and  right  of  the  line  fairly 
broke,  and  ran  for  it.  This  example  was  followed  by  the  centre, 
and  presently  the  whole  of  the  two  battalions  and  three  hundred 
cavalry  were  scattered  over  the  prairie,  in  the  wildest  and  most 
disorderly  flight.  I  gave  them  a  parting  salute  from  the  eight- 
pounder,  which  would  doubtless  have  accelerated  their  move 
ments,  had  it  been  possible  to  run  faster  than  they  were  already 
doing. 

We  stood  staring  after  the  fugitives  in  perfect  bewilderment, 
totally  unable  to  explain  their  apparently  causeless  panic.  At  last 
the  report  of  several  rifles  from  the  island  of  trees  gave  us  the 
clue  to  the  mystery. 

Some  six-and-thirty  shots,  every  one  of  which  told,  fired  sud 
denly  from  a  cover  close  to  their  rear,  were  enough  to  startle  even 
the  best  troops,  much  more  so  our  Mexican  Dons,  who,  already 
sufliciently  inclined  to  a  panic,  now  believed  themselves  fallen  into 
an  ambuscade,  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  incarnate  diabo- 
lo$,  as  they  called  us.  The  eavalry,  who  had  not  yet  recovered  th« 


274 

thrashing  vie  had  given  them,  were  ready  enough  for  a  run,  and 
the  infantry  were  not  slow  to  follow  them. 

Our  first  impulse  was  naturally  to  pursue  the  flying  enemy,  but 
a  discovery  made  by  some  of  the  men,  induced  us  to  abandon  that 
idea.  They  had  opened  the  pouches  of  the  dead  Mexicans,  IE 
order  to  supply  themselves  with  ammunition,  ours  being  nearly 
expended  ;  but  the  powder  of  the  cartridges  turned  out  so  bad  aa 
to  be  useless.  It  was  little  better  than  coal-dust,  and  would  not 
carry  a  ball  fifty  paces  to  kill  or  wound.  This  accounted  for  our 
apparent  invulnerability  to  the  fire  of  the  Mexicans.  The  muskets 
also  were  of  a  very  inferior  description.  Both  they  and  the 
cartridges  were  of  English  make  ;  the  former  being  stamped  "  Bir 
mingham,"  and  the  latter  having  the  name  of  an  English  powder 
manufactory,  with  the  significant  addition,  "  for  exportation." 

Under  these  circumstances,  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  let  the 
Mexicans  run.  We  sent  a  detachment  to  the  muskeet  island, 
to  unite  itself  with  the  twelve  men  who  had  done  such  good  ser- 
fice  there,  and  thence  advance  toward  the  ford.  We  ourselves 
proceeded  slowly  in  the  other  direction.  This  demonstration 
Brought  the  fugitives  back  again,  for  they  had,  most  of  them,  in 
•he  wild  precipitation  of  their  flight,  passed  the  only  place  where 
they  could  cross  the  river.  They  began  crowding  over  in  the 
greatest  confusion,  foot  and  horse,  all  mixed  up  together;  and,  by 
the  time  we  got  within  a  hundred  paces  of  the  ford,  the  prairie 
was  nearly  clear  of  them.  There  were  still  a  couple  of  hundred 
men  on  our  side  of  the  water,  completely  at  our  mercy,  and  Whar- 
ton,  who  was  a  little  in  front  with  thirty  men,  gave  the  word  to 
fire  upon  them.  No  one  obeyed.  He  repeated  the  command. 
Not  A  rifle  was  raised.  He  stared  at  his  men,  astonished  and  im 
patient  at  this  strange  disobedience.  An  old  weather-beaten  bear- 
hunter  stopped  forward,  squirting  out  his  tobacco  juice  with  all 
imaginable  deliberation. 

"  I  tell  ye  what,  capting  !"  said  he,  passing  his  quid  over  from 
his  right  cheek  to  his  left ;  "  I  calkilate,  capting,"  he  continued, 
"  we'd  better  leave  the  poor  devils  of  dons  alone." 

"  The  poor  devil*  of  dons  alone  !"  repeated  Wharton  in  a  rage 
*  Are  you  mad.  man  7'' 


275 

Panning  and  I  had  just  come  up  with  our  detachment,  and  were 
not  less  surprised  and  angry  than  Wharton  was,  at  this  breach  of 
discipline.  The  man,  however,  did  not  allow  himself  to  be  dis 
concerted. 

"  There's  a  proverb,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  turning  to  us,  "  which 
Bays,  that  one  should  build  a  golden  bridge  for  a  beaten  enemy  ; 
and  a  good  proverb  it  is,  I  calkilate — a  considerable  good  one." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  man,  with  your  golden  bridge  ?"  cried 
Fanning.  "  This  is  no  time  for  proverbs." 

"  Do  you  know  that  you  are  liable  to  be  punished  for  insubor 
dination  ?"  said  I.  "  It's  your  duty  to  fire,  and  do  the  enemy  all 
the  harm  you  can  ;  not  to  be  quoting  proverbs." 

"  Calkilate  it  is,"  replied  the  man,  very  coolly.  "  Calkilate  I 
could  shoot  'em  without  danger  or  trouble  ;  but  I  reckon,  that 
would  be  like  Spaniards  or  Mexicans  ;  not  like  Americans — not 
prudent." 

Untimely  as  this  palaver,  to  use  a  popular  word,  undoubtedly 
was,  we  could  scarcely  forbear  smiling  at  the  simple  naive  manner 
in  which  the  old  Yankee  spoke  his  mind. 

"  Calkilate,  captings,"  he  concluded,  "  you'd  better  let  the  poor 
devils  run.  We  shall  get  more  profit  by  it  than  if  we  shot  five 
hundred  of  'em.  Next  time  they'll  run  away  directly  to  show 
their  gratitude  for  our  generosity." 

The  man  stepped  back  into  the  ranks,  and  his  comrades  nodded 
approvingly,  and  calculated  and  reckoned  that  Zebediah  had  spoke 
a  true  word  ;  and  meanwhile  the  enemy  had  crossed  the  river,  and 
was  out  of  our  reach.  We  were  forced  to  content  ourselves 
with  sending  a  party  across  the  water  to  follow  up  the  Mexicans, 
and  observe  the  direction  they  took.  We  then  returned  to  our 
old  position. 

My  first  thought  on  arriving  there  was  to  search  for  the  body 
of  Bob  Rock — for  he  it  undoubtedly  was,  who  had  so  mysteriously 
appeared  among  us.  I  repaired  to  the  spot  where  I  had  seen  him 
fall ;  but  could  discover  no  signs  of  him,  either  dead  or  alive.  I 
went  over  the  whole  scene  of  the  fight,  searched  along  the  vines 
and  along  the  bank  of  the  river  ;  there  were  plenty  of  dead  Mexi 
cans — cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery,  but  no  Bob  was  to  be  found, 


276 

nor  could  any  one  inform  me  what  had  become  of  him,  although 
several  had  seen  him  fall. 

I  was  continuing  my  search,  when  I  met  Wharton,  who  asked 
me  what  I  was  seeking,  and  on  learning,  shook  his  head  gravely. 
He  had  met  the  wild  prairieman,  he  said,  but  whence  he  came,  or 
whither  he  was  gone,  was  more  than  he  could  tell.  It  was  a  long 
time  since  anything  had  startled  and  astonished  him  so  much  as 
this  man's  appearance  and  proceedings.  He  (Wharton)  had  been 
stationed  with  his  party  among  the  vines,  and  fifty  paces  in  rear 
of  Fanning's  people,  when  just  as  the  Mexican  infantry  had  cross 
ed  the  ford,  and  were  forming  up,  he  saw  a  man  approaching  at  a 
brisk  trot  from  the  north  side  of  the  prairie.  He  halted  about  a 
couple  of  hundred  yards  from  Wharton,  tied  his  mustang  to  a 
bush,  and  with  his  rifle  on  his  arm,  strode  along  the  edge  of  the 
prairie  in  the  direction  of  the  Mexicans.  When  he  passed  near 
AVharton,  the  latter  called  out  to  him  to  halt,  and  say  who  he  was, 
whence  he  came,  and  whither  going. 

"  Who  I  am  is  no  business  of  yourn,"  replied  the  man  ;  "  nor 
where  I  come  from  neither.  You'll  soon  see  where  I'm  goin'.  I'm 
goin'  agin'  the  enemy." 

"  Then  you  must  come  and  join  us,"  cried  Wharton. 

This  the  stranger  testily  refused  to  do.  H'd  fight  on  his  own 
hook,  he  said. 

Wharton  told  him  he  must  not  do  that. 

He  should  like  to  see  who  would  hinder  him,  he  said,  and 
walked  on.  The  next  moment  he  shot  the  first  artilleryman. 
After  that  they  let  him  take  his  own  way. 

Neither  Wharton,  nor  any  of  his  men,  knew  what  had  become 
of  him  ;  but  at  last  I  met  with  a  bear-hunter,  who  gave  me  the 
following  information — 

"  Calkilatin',"  said  he,  "  that  the  wild  prairieman's  rifle  was  a 
capital  good  one,  as  good  a  one  as  ever  killed  a  bear,  he  tho't  it  a 
pity  that  it  should  fall  into  bad  hands,  so  wjnt  to  secure  it  him 
self,  although  the  frontispiece  of  its  dead  owner  warn't  very  invi- 
tin'.  But  when  he  stooped  to  take  the  gun.  he  got  such  a  shove 
as  knocked  him  backward,  and  on  getting  up,  he  saw  the  prairie- 
man  openin'  his  jacket  and  examinin'  a  wound  on  his  breast 


377 

which  was  neither  deep  nor  dangerous,  although  it  had  taken 
away  the  man's  senses  for  a  while.  The  ball  had  struck  the  breast 
bone,  and  was  quite  near  the  skin,  so  that  the  wounded  man  pushed 
it  out  with  his  fingers ;  and  then  supporting  himself  on  his  rifle, 
got  up  from  the  ground,  and  without  either  a  thankye,  or  a 
d — nye,  walked  to  where  his  mustang  was  tied  up,  got  on  its  back, 
and  rode  slowly  away  in  a  northerly  direction. 

General  Austin  expressed  his  gratitude  and  approbation  to  our 
brave  fellows,  after  a  truly  republican  and  democratic  fashion. 
He  shook  hands  with  all  the  rough  bear  and  buffalo  hunters,  and 
drank  with  them.  Fanning  and  myself  he  promoted,  on  the  spot, 
to  the  rank  of  colonel. 

We  were  giving  the  general  a  detailed  account  of  the  morning's 
events,  when  a  Mexican  priest  appeared  with  a  flag  of  truce  and 
several  wagons,  and  craved  permission  to  take  away  the  dead. 
This  was  of  course  granted,  and  we  had  some  talk  with  the  padre, 
who,  however,  was  too  wily  a  customer  to  allow  himself  to  be 
pumped.  What  little  we  did  get  out  of  him,  determined  us  to 
advance  the  same  afternoon  against  San  Antonio.  We  thought 
there  was  some  chance,  that  in  the  present  panic-struck  state  of 
the  Mexicans,  we  might  obtain  possession  of  the  place  by  a  bold 
and  sudden  assault. 

San  Antonio  de  Bexar  lies  in  a  fertile  and  well-irrigated  valley, 
stretching  westward  from  the  river  Salado.  In  the  centre  of  the 
town  rises  the  fort  of  the  Alamo,  which  at  that  time  was  armed 
with  forty-eight  pieces  of  artillery  of  various  calibre.  The  garrison 
of  the  town  and  fortress  was  nearly  three  thousand  strong 

We  were  not  discouraged,  however,  and  opened  our  fire  upon 
the  city.  During  the  first  week,  not  a  day  passed  without  smart 
skirmishes.  General  Cos's  dragoons  were  swarming  about  us  like 
so  many  Bedouins.  But  although  well-mounted,  and  capital 
horsemen,  they  were  no  match  for  our  backwoodsmen.  Those  from 
the  western  States  especially,  accustomed  to  Indian  warfare  and 
cunning,  laid  traps  and  ambuscades  for  the  Mexicans,  and  were 
constantly  destroying  their  detachments.  As  for  the  besieged,  if 
one  of  them  showed  his  head  for  ten  seconds  above  the  city  wall, 
he  was  sure  of  getting  a  rifle  bullet  through  it  I  cannot  say  thai 


278 

our  besieging  army  was  a  perfect  model  of  military  discipline  ; 
but  any  deficiencies  in  that  respect  were  made  good  by  the  intel 
ligence  of  the  men,  and  the  zeal  and  unanimity  with  which  they 
pursued  the  accomplishment  of  one  great  object — the  capture  of 
the  city — the  liberty  and  independence  of  Texas. 

The  badness  of  the  gunpowder  used  by  the  Mexicans  was  again 
of  great  service  to  us.  Many  of  their  cannon  balls  that  fell  far 
short  of  us,  were  collected  and  returned  to  them  with  powerful 
effect.  We  kept  a  sharp  look-out  for  convoys,  and  captured  no  less 
than  three — one  of  horses,  another  of  provisions,  and  twenty  thou 
sand  dollars  in  money. 

After  an  eight  weeks'  siege,  a  breach  having  been  made,  the 
city  surrendered,  and  a  month  later  the  fort  followed  the  example. 
With  a  powerful  park  of  artillery,  we  then  advanced  upon  Goliad, 
the  strongest  fortress  in  Texas,  which  likewise  capitulated  in 
about  four  weeks'  time.  We  were  now  masters  of  the  whole  coun 
try,  and  the  war  was  apparently  at  an  end.  , 

But  the  Mexicans  were  not  the  people  to  give  up  their  best  pro 
vince  so  easily.  They  have  too  much  of  the  old  Spanish  charao 
ter  about  them — that  determined  obstinacy  which  sustained  the 
Spaniards  during  the  protracted  struggle  with  the  Moors.  The 
honor  of  their  republic  was  compromised,  and  that  must  be 
redeemed.  Thundering  proclamations  were  issued,  denouncing 
the  Texans  as  rebels,  who  should  be  swept  off  the  face  of  the  earth, 
and  threatening  the  United  States  for  having  aided  us  with  money 
and  volunteers.  Ten  thousand  of  the  best  troops  in  Mexico 
entered  Texas,  and  were  shortly  to  be  followed  by  ten  thousand 
more.  The  President,  Gen.  Santa  Anna,  himself  came  to  take  the 
command,  attended  by  a  numerous  and  brilliant  staff. 

The  Texans  laughed  at  the  fanfarronades  of  the  dons,  and  did 
not  attach  sufficient  importance  to  these  formidable  preparations. 
Their  good  opinion  of  themselves,  and  contempt  of  their  foes,  had 
been  increased  to  an  unreasonable  degree  by  their  recent  and 
rapid  successes.  They  forgot  that  the  troops  to  which  they  had 
hitherto  been  opposed  were  for  the  most  part  militia,  and  that 
those  now  advancing  against  them  were  of  a  far  better  description. 
and  had  probably  better  powder.  The  call  to  arms  made  by  OUT 


279 

president,  Burnet,  was  disregarded  by  many,  and  we  could  only 
get  together  about  two  thousand  men,  of  whom  nearly  two-thirds 
had  to  be  left  to  garrison  the  forts  of  Goliad  and  Alamo.  In  the 
first  named  place  we  left  seven  hundred  and  sixty  men,  under  the 
command  of  Fanping  ;  in  the  latter,  something  more  than  five 
hundred.  With  the  remaining  seven  or  eight  hundred  we  took 
the  field. 

The  Mexicans  advanced  so  rapidly,  that  they  were  upon  us 
before  we  were  aware  of  it,  and  we  were  compelled  to  retreat,  leav 
ing  the  garrisons  of  the  two  forts  to  their  fate,  and  a  right  melaD 
choly  one  it  proved  to  be. 

One  morning  news  was  brought  to  Goliad  that  a  number  of 
country  people,  principally  women  and  children,  were  on  their  way 
to  the  fort,  closely  pursued  by  the  Mexicans.  Fanning,  losing 
sight  of  prudence  in  his  compassion  for  these  poor  people,  imme 
diately  ordered  a  battalion  of  five  hundred  men,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Major  Ward,  to  go  and  meet  the  fugitives  and  escort 
them  in.  The  major,  and  several  officers  of  the  garrison,  doubted 
as  to  the  propriety  of  this  measure  ;  but  Fanning,  full  of  sympa 
thy  for  his  unprotected  country-women,  insisted,  and  the  battalion 
moved  out.  They  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  fugitives,  as  they 
thought,  but  on  drawing  nearer,  the  latter  turned  out  to  be  Mexi 
can  dragoons,  who  sprang  upon  their  horses,  which  were  concealed 
in  the  neighboring  islands  of  trees,  and  a  desperate  fight  began. 
The  Mexicans,  far  superior  in  numbers,  received  every  moment 
accessions  to  their  strength.  The  Louis  Potosi  and  Santa  Fe 
cavalry,  fellows  who  seem  born  on  horseback,  were  there.  Our 
unfortunate  countrymen  were  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  The  fight 
lasted  two  days,  and  only  two  men  out  of  the  five  hundred  escaped 
with  their  lives. 

Before  the  news  of  this  misfortune  reached  us.  orders  had  been 
Bent  to  Fanning  to  evacuate  the  fort  and  join  us  with  six  pieces 
of  artillery.  He  received  the  order  and  proceeded  to  execute  it. 
But  what  might  have  been  very  practicable  for  eight  hundred  and 
sixty  men,  was  impossible  for  three  hundred  and  sixty.  Never 
theless,  Fanning  began  his  march  through  the  prairie.  His  little 
band  was  almost  immediately  surrounded  by  the  enemy.  Aftei 


280 

a  gallant  defence,  which  lasted  twelve  hours,  they  succeeded  in 
reaching  an  island,  but  scarcely  had  they  established  themselves 
there,  when  they  found  that  their  ammunition  wa?  expended. 
There  was  nothing  left  for  them,  but  to  accept  t"he  terms  offered 
by  the  Mexicans,  who  pledged  themselves,  that  if  they  laid  down 
their  arms,  they  should  be  permitted  to  return  to  their  homee 
But  the  rifles  were  no  sooner  piled,  than  the  Texans  found  them 
selves  charged  by  their  treacherous  foes,  who  butchered  them 
without  mercy.  Only  an  advanced  post  of  three  men  succeeded 
in  escaping. 

The  five  hundred  men  whom  we  had  left  in  San  Antonio  de 
Bexar,  fared  no  better.  Not  being  sufficiently  numerous  to  hold 
out  the  town  as  well  as  the  Alamo,  they  retreated  into  the  latter. 
The  Mexican  artillery  soon  laid  a  part  of  the  fort  in  ruins.  Still 
its  defenders  held  out.  After  eight  days'  fighting,  during  which 
the  loss  of  the  beseigers  was  tremendously  severe,  the  Alamo  was 
taken,  and  not  a  single  Texan  left  alive. 

We  thus,  by  these  two  cruel  blows,  lost  two  thirds  of  our  army, 
and  little  more  than  seven  hundred  men  remained  to  resist  the 
numerous  legions  of  our  victorious  foe.  The  prospect  before  us 
was  one  well  calculated  to  daunt  the  stoutest  heart. 

The  Mexican  general,  Santa  Anna,  moved  his  army  forward  in 
two  divisions,  one  stretching  along  the  coast  toward  Yelasco,  the 
other  advancing  toward  San  Felipe  de  Austin.  He  himself,  with 
a  small  force,  marched  in  the  centre.  At  Fort  Bend,  twenty 
miles  below  San  Felipe,  he  crossed  the  Brazos,  and  shortly  after 
ward  established  himself  with  about  fifteen  hundred  men  in  an 
intrenched  camp.  Our  army,  under  the  command  of  General 
Houston,  was  in  front  of  Harrisburg,  to  which  place  the  congress 
had  retreated. 

It  was  on  the  night  of  the  twentieth  of  April,  and  our  whole 
disposable  force,  some  seven  hundred  men,  was  bivouacking  in  and 
about  an  island  of  sycamores.  It  was  a  cloudy,  stormy  evening ; 
a  high  wind  was  blowing,  and  the  branches  of  the  trees  groaned 
and  creaked  above  our  heads.  The  weather  harmonized  well 
enough  with  our  feelings,  which  were  sad  and  desponding  when 
we  thought  of  the  descerate  state  of  our  cause.  We  (the  officer*) 


281 

were  sitting  in  a  circle  round  the  general  and  Alcalde,  both  of 
whom  appeared  uneasy  and  anxious.  More  than  once  they  got 
up,  and  walked  backward  and  forward,  seemingly  impatient,  and 
as  if  they  were  waiting  for  or  expecting  something.  There  was  a 
deep  silence  throughout  the  whole  bivouac ;  some  were  sleeping, 
and  those  who  watched  were  in  no  humor  for  idle  chat. 

"Who  goes  there?"  suddenly  shouted  one  of  the  sentries. 
The  answer  we  did  not  hear,  but  it  was  apparently  satisfactory, 
for  there  was  no  further  challenge,  and  a  few  seconds  afterward 
an  orderly  came  up,  and  whispered  something  in  the  ear  of  the 
Alcalde.  The  latter  hurried  away,  and  presently  returning, 
spoke  a  few  words  in  a  low  tone  to  the  general,  and  then  to  us 
officers.  In  an  instant  we  were  all  upon  our  feet.  In  less  than 
ten  minutes,  the  bivouac  was  broken  up,  and  our  little  army  on 
the  march. 

All  our  people  were  well  mounted,  and  armed  with  rifles,  pis 
tols,  and  bowie-knives.  We  had  six  field-pieces,  but  we  took  only 
four,  harnessed  with  twice  the  usual  number  of  horses.  We 
marched  at  a  rapid  trot  the  whole  night,  led  by  a  tall,  gaunt  figure 
of  a  man,  who  acted  as  our  guide  and  kept  some  distance  in 
front.  I  more  than  once  asked  the  Alcalde  who  this  was.  "  You 
will  know,  by  and  by,"  was  his  answer. 

Before  daybreak  we  had  ridden  five  and  twenty  miles,  but  had 
been  compelled  to  abandon  two  more  guns.  As  yet,  no  one  knew 
the  object  of  this  forced  march.  The  general  commanded  a  halt, 
and  ordered  the  men  to  refresh  and  strengthen  themselves  by 
food  and  drink.  While  they  were  doing  this,  he  assembled  the 
omcers  around  him,  and  the  meaning  of  our  night  march  was 
explained  to  us.  The  camp  in  which  the  Mexican  president  and 
general-in-chief  had  intrenched  himself  was  within  a  mile  of  us ; 
General  Parza,  with  two  thousand  men,  was  twenty  miles  further 
to  the  rear  ;  General  Filasola,  with  one  thousand,  eighteen  miles 
lower  down  on  the  Brazos  ;  Viesca,  with  fifteen  hundred,  twenty- 
five  miles  higher  up.  One  bold  and  decided  blow,  and  Texas 
might  yet  be  free.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  lose,  nor  was  one 
lost.  The  general  addressed  the  men. 

"  Friends  !  brothers  !  citizens  !   General  Santa  Anna  is  withm 

24* 


282 

a  mile  of  us  with  fifteen  hundred  men.  The  hour  that  is  to 
decide  the  question  of  Texian  liberty  is  now  arrived.  What  say 
you  ?  Do  we  attack  ?" 

"  We  do  !"  exclaimed  the  men,  with  one  voice,  cheerfully  and 
decidedly. 

In  the  most  perfect  stillness  we  arrived  within  two  hundred 
paces  of  the  enemy's  camp.  The  reveillee  of  the  sleeping  Mexi 
cans  was  the  discharge  of  our  two  iield-pieces  loaded  with  canis 
ter.  Rushing  on  to  within  twenty-five  paces  of.  the  intrench 
ment,  we  gave  them  a  deadley  volley  from  our  rifles,  and  then, 
throwing  away  the  latter,  bounded  up  the  breastworks,  a  pistol 
in  each  hand.  The  Mexicans,  scared  and  stupefied  by  this  sud 
den  attack,  were  running  about  in  the  wildest  confusion,  seeking 
their  arms,  and  not  knowing  which  way  to  turn.  After  firing 
our  pistols,  we  threw  them  away  as  we  had  done  our  rifles,  and 
drawing  our  bowie-knives,  fell,  with  a  shout,  upon  the  masses  of 
the  terrified  foe.  It  was  more  like  the  boarding  of  a  ship  than 
any  land  fight  I  had  ever  seen  or  imagined. 

My  station  was  on  the  right  of  the  line,  where  the  breastwork, 
ending  in  a  redoubt,  was  steep  and  high.  I  made  two  attempts 
to  climb  up,  but  both  times  slipped  back.  On  the  third  trial  I 
nearly  gained  the  summit ;  but  was  again  slipping  down,  when  a 
hand  seized  me  by  the  collar,  and  pulled  me  up  on  the  bank.  In 
the  darkness  and  confusion,  I  did  not  distinguish  the  face  of  the 
man  who  rendered  me  this  assistance.  I  only  saw  the  glitter  of 
a  bayonet  which  a  Mexican  thrust  into  his  shoulder,  at  the  very 
moment  he  was  helping  me  up.  He  neither  flinched  nor  let  go 
his  hold  of  me  till  I  was  fairly  on  my  feet ;  then,  turning  slowly 
round,  he  levelled  a  pistol  at  the  soldier,  who,  at  that  very  mo 
metit,  was  struck  down  by  the  Alcalde. 

"  No  thanks  to  ye,  squire  !"  exclaimed  the  man,  in  a  voice 
which  made  me  start,  even  at  that  moment  of  excitement  and 
bustle.  I  looked  at  the  speaker,  but  could  only  see  his  back,  for 
he  had  already  plunged  into  the  thick  of  the  fight,  and  was 
engaged  with  a  party  of  Mexicans,  who  defended  themselves  des 
perately.  He  fought  like  a  man  more  anxious  to  be  killed  than 
to  kill,  striking  furiously  right  and  left,  but  never  guarding  a 


283 

blow,  though  the  Alcalde,  who  was  by  his  side,  warded  off  several 
which  were  aimed  at  him. 

By  this  time,  iny  men  had  scrambled  up  after  me.  I  looked 
round  to  see  where  our  help  was  most  wanted,  and  was  about  to 
lead  them  forward,  when  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  Alcalde. 

"  Are  you  badly  hurt,  Bob  ?"  said  he,  in  an  anxious  tone. 

I  glanced  at  the  spot  whence  the  voice  came.  There  lay  Bob 
Rock,  covered  with  blood,  and  apparently  insensible.  The 
Alcalde  was  supporting  his  head  upon  his  arm.  Before  I  had 
time  to  give  a  second  look,  I  was  hurried  forward  with  the  rest 
toward  the  centre  of  the  camp,  where  the  fight  was  at  the  hottest. 

About  five  hundred  men,  the  pick  of  the  Mexican  army,  had 
collected  round  a  knot  of  staff-officers,  and  were  making  a  most 
gallant  defence.  General  Houston  had  attacked  them  with  three 
hundred  of  our  people,  but  had  not  been  able  to  break  their 
ranks.  His  charge,  however,  had  shaken  them  a  little,  and, 
before  they  had  time  to  recover  from  it,  I  came  up.  Giving  a 
wild  hurrah,  my  men  fired  their  pistols,  hurled  them  at  their 
enemies'  heads,  and  then  springing  over  the  crcasses  of  the 
fallen,  dashed  like  a  thunderbolt  into  the  broken  ranks  of  the 
Mexicans. 

A  frightful  butchery  ensued.  Our  men,  who  were  for  the  most 
-)art,  and  at  most  times,  peaceable  and  humane  in  disposition, 
seemed  converted  into  perfect  fiends.  Whole  ranks  of  the  enemy 
fell  under  their  knives.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  t)f  the  horrible 
slaughter  from  the  fact,  that  the  fight,  from  beginning  to  end,  did 
not  last  above  ten  minutes,  and  in  that  time  nearly  eight  hundred 
Mexicans  were  shot  or  cut  down.  "  No  quarter  !"  was  the  cry  of 
the  infuriated  assailants ;  "  remember  Alamo  !  Remember  Goliad  ! 
Think  of  Fanning,  "Ward  !"  The  Mexicans  threw  themselves  on 
their  knees,  imploring  mercy,  *"  Misericordia,  !  Cuartd,  por  el  amor 
de  Dios  /"  shrieked  they  in  heart-rending  tones  ;  but  their  sup- 
plications  were  not  listened  to,  and  every  man  of  them  would  inevi 
tably  have  been  butchered,  had  not  Gen.  Houston  and  the  officers 
dashed  in  between  the  victors  and  the  vanquished,  and  with  the 
greatest  difficulty,  and  by  threats  of  cutting  down  our  own  men 
if  they  did  not  desist,  put  an  end  to  this  scene  of  bloodshed 


284 

and  eared  the  Texan  character  from  the  stain  of  unmanly  cru 
elty. 

When  all  was  over,  I  hurried  back  to  the  place  where  I  had  left 
the  Alcalde  with  Bob.  The  latter  lay,  bleeding  from  six  wounds, 
only  a  few  paces  from  the  spot  where  he  had  helped  me  up  the 
breastwork.  The  bodies  of  two  dead  Mexicans  served  him  for  a 
pillow.  The  Alcalde  was  kneeling  by  his  side,  gazing  sadly  and 
earnestly  into  the  face  of  the  dying  man. 

For  Bob  was  dying  ;  but  it  was  no  longer  the  death  of  the  des 
pairing  murderer.  The  expression  of  his  features  was  calm  and 
composed  and  his  eyes  were  raised  to  Heaven  with  a  look  of  hope 
and  supplication. 

I  stooped  down  and  asked  him  how  he  felt  himself,  but  he  made 
no  answer,  and  evidently  did  not  recollect  me.  After  a  minute 
or  two — 

"  How  goes  it  with  the  fight  ?"  he  asked  in  a  broken  voice. 

"  We  have  conquered,  Bob.  The  enemy  killed  or  taken.  Not  a 
man  escaped." 

He  paused  a  little,  and  then  spoke  again. 

u  Have  I  done  my  duty  ?     May  I  hope  to  be  forgiven?" 

The  Alcalde  answered  him  in  an  agitated  voice : 

"  He  who  forgave  the  sinner  on  the  cross,  will  doubtless  be  mer 
ciful  to  you,  Bob.  His  holy  book  says  :  There  is  more  joy  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  men. 
Be  of  good  hope,  Bob  !  the  Almighty  will  surely  be  merciful  to 
you !" 

"Thank  ye,  squire," .  gasped  Bob,  "you're  a  true  friend,  a 
friend  in  life  and  death.  Well  it's  come  at  last,"  said  he,  while 
a  resigned  and  happy  smile  stole  over  his  features.  "  I've 
prayed  for  it  long  enough.  Thank  God,  it's  come  at  last !" 

He  gazed  up  at  the  Alcalde  with  a  kindly  expression  of  coun 
tenance.  There  was  a  slight  shuddering  movement  of  his  whole 
frame — Bob  was  dead. 

The  Alcalde  remained  kneeling  for  a  short  time  by  the  side  of 
the  corpse,  his  lips  moving  in  prayer.  At  last  he  rose  to  his 
feet. 

"  God  desireth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but  rather  that  he 


235 

may  turn  from  his  wickedness  and  live,"  said  he.  in  a  low  and 
lolemn  tone.  "  I  had  those  words  in  my  thoughts  four  years  ago, 
when  I  cut  him  down  from  the  branch  of  the  Patriarch." 

';  Four  years  ago  !"  cried  I.  u  Then  you  cut  him  down,  and 
were  in  time  to  save  him  !  Was  it  he  who  yesterday  brought  us 
news  of  the  vicinity  of  the  foe  ?" 

"  It  was,  and  much  more  than  that  has  he  done,"  replied  the 
Alcalde,  no  longer  striving  to  conceal  the  tears  that  fell  from  his 
eyes.  "  For  four  years  has  he"  dragged  on  his  wretched  existence, 
weary  of  the  world,  and  despised  of  all  men.  For  four  years  has 
he  served  us,  lived,  fought,  and  spied  for  us,  without  honor, 
reward,  hope,  or  consolation — without  a  single  hope  of  tranquil 
lity,  or  a  wish  for  aught  except  death.  All  this  to  serve  Texas 
and  his  countrymen.  Who  shall  say  this  man  was  not  a  true 
patriot?  God  will  surely  be  merciful  to  his  soul,"  said  the 
Alcalde,  after  a  pause. 

"  I  trust  he  will,"  answered  I  deeply  affected. 

We  were  interrupted  at  this  moment  by  a  message  from  Gen 
eral  Houston,  to  whom  we  immediately  hastened.  All  was  uproar 
and  confusion.  Santa  Anna  could  not  be  found  among  the  pris 
oners. 

This  was  a  terrible  disappointment,  for  the  capture  of  the 
Mexican  president  had  been  our  principal  object,  and  the  victory 
we  had  gained  was  comparatively  unimportant  if.  he  escaped. 
Indeed,  the  hope  of  putting  an  end  to  the  war  by  his  capture,  had 
more  than  anything  encouraged  and  stimulated  us  to  the  unequal 
conflict. 

The  moment  was  a  very  critical  one.  Among  our  men  were 
thirty  or  forty  most  desperate  characters,  who  began  handling 
their  knives,  and  casting  looks  upon  the  prisoners,  the  meaning 
of  which  it  was  impossible  to  mistake.  Selecting  some  of  our 
trustiest  men,  we  stationed  them  as  a  guard  over  the  captives, 
and,  having  thus  assured  the  safety  of  the  latter,  began  question 
ing  them  as  to  what  had  become  of  their  general. 

They  had  none  of  them  seen  Santa  Anna  since  the  commence 
ment  of  the  fight,  and  it  was  clear  that  he  must  have  made  his 
escape  while  we  were  getting  over  the  breastworks.  He  could 


286 

not  be  yery  far  off,  and  we  at  once  took  measures  to  find  him.  A 
hundred  men  were  sent  off  with  the  prisoners  to  Harrisburg,  and 
a  hundred  others,  capitally  mounted  on  horses  found  in  the 
Mexican  camp,  started  to  scour  the  country  in  search  of  the  fugi 
tive  chief.  I  accompanied  the  latter  detachment. 

We  had  been  twelve  hours  in  the  saddle,  and  had  ridden  over 
nearly  a  hundred  miles  of  ground.  We  began  to  despair  of  find 
ing  the  game  we  were  in  quest  of,  and  were  thinking  of  abandon 
ing  the  chase,  when  at  a  distance  of  about  seven  miles  from  the 
camp,  one  of  our  most  experienced  hunters  discovered  the  print 
of  a  small  and  delicate  boot  upon  some  soft  ground  leading  to  a 
marsh.  Following  this  trail,  it  at  last  led  us  to  a  man  sunk  up 
to  his  waist  in  the  swamp,  and  so  covered  with  mud  and  filth,  as 
to  be  quite  unrecognizable.  We  drew  him  from  his  hiding-place, ' 
half  dead  with  cold  and  terror,  and,  having  washed  the  dirt  from 
his  face,  we  found  him  to  be  a  man  of  about  forty  years  of  age, 
with  blue  eyes,  of  a  mild  but  crafty  expression ;  a  narrow,  high 
forehead ;  long,  thin  nose,  rather  fleshy  at  the  tip ;  projecting 
upper-lip,  and  long  chin.  These  features  tallied  too  exactly  with 
the  description  we  had  had  of  the  Mexican  president,  for  us  to 
doubt  that  our  prisoner  was  Santa  Anna  himself. 

The  only  thing  that  at  all  tended  to  shake  this  conviction,  was 
the  extraordinary  poltroonery  of  our  new  captive.  He  threw 
himself  on  his  knees,  begging  us,  in  the  name  of  God  and  all  the 
saints,  to  spare  his  life.  Our  reiterated  assurances  and  promises 
were  insufiicient  to  convince  him  of  his  being  in  perfect  safety,  or 
to  induce  him  to  adopt  a  demeanor  more  consistent  with  his  dig 
nity  and  high  station. 

The  events  which  succeeded  this  fortunate  capture,  are  too  well 
known  to  require  more  than  a  very  brief  recapitulation.  The 
same  evening  a  truce  was  agreed  upon  between  Houston  and 
Santa  Anna,  the  latter  sending  orders  to  his  different  generals  to 
retire  upon  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  and  other  places  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  Mexican  frontier.  These  orders,  valueless  as  emanat 
ing  from  a  prisoner,  most  of  the  generals  were  weak  or  cowardly 
tnough  to  obey,  an  obedience  for  which  they  were  afterward 


287 

brought  to  trial  by  the  Mexican  congress.     In  a  few  days,  two- 
thirds  of  Texas  were  in  our  possession. 

*  The  news  of  these  successes  brought  crowds  of  volunteers  to 
our  standard.  In  three  weeks  we  had  an  army  of  several  thou 
sand  men,  with  which  we  advanced  against  the  Mexicans.  There 
was  no  more  fighting,  however,  for  our  antagonists  had  had 
enough,  and  allowed  themselves  to  be  driven  from  one  position  to 
another,  till,  in  a  month's  time,  there  was  not  one  left  in  the 
country. 


On  passiiag  through  the  scenes  of  my  Mexican  wanderings  on 
my  return  from  Texas,  I  gleaned  a  few  brief  particulars  in  refer- 
once  to  some  of  the  personages  who  have  borne  a  conspicuous  part 
in  these  pages. 

We  found  the  contemptible  Lieutenant  bestialized  with  whisky 
to  the  verge  of  idiocy.  On  inquiring  of  his  chaste  and  delectable 
wife  as  to  what  had  happened,  we  learned  that  on  the  evening  of 
the  day  after  we  taft,  the  Colonel  had  been  shot,  as  he  strolled 
listlessly  and  without  any  precaution  about  his  premises.  The 
rumor  was  that  Agatone,  accompanied  by  the  old  Sefiora  and  three 
men,  had  fired  upon  him  from  a  thicket.  He  fell,  and  they  rushed 
out  too  soon — for  before  they  could  finish  him  he  shot  one  of  them 
through  the  head,  and  it  was  thought  had  mortally  wounded  the 
old  Senora.  The  ferocious  Agatone  had  cut  off  his  ears,  and 
thrust  them  down  his  throat  while  he  was  dying,  with  the  handle 
of  his  knife,  and  otherwise  horribly  mutilated  his  body,  which  was 
left  for  the  wolves  to  devour.  It  was  said  that  the  boy  John  led 
the  party — how  he  had  come  to  life  was  a  problem  to  me.  Antone 
had  never  been  heard  of.  I  suppose  the  wolves  made  a  meal  of 
him  after  I  left.  But  enough  of  horrors  !  Black,  I  forgot  to 
mention,  had  disappeared  during  the  night  of  the  siege — no  onf 
knew  where  !  Bill  had  accompanied  us  and  performed  wonders 
of  sagacity  and  skill  in  his  peculiar  department — we  left  him  with 
Hays  in  Bexar. 

The  cunning  Agatone  is,  for  all  I  know,  at  this  very  time  a 


288 

•earheiess  cut-throat  on  that  troubled  frontier.  Castro  and  his 
•  Lipans  are  still,  I  believe,  the  frontier  allies  of  Captain  (now 
Oolonel)  Hays.  The  old  Senora  never  entirely  recovered,  and  I 
have  heard  since  I  left  the  country,  that  she  was  literally  "  roast 
ed  alive"  in  her  bed  some  time  afterwards,  when  the  indignant 
Texans  who  had  rallied  to  the  frontier,  reduced  her  Rancho— 
what  of  it  could  be  burned — to  ashes,  and  left  no  "  Doby  up«B 
mother"  of  the  rest ! 


BROTHERS    AND    SISTERS. 

A  PARISIAN  SKETCH. 

THE  sun  was  gilding  with  his  last  gleam  the  turrets  of  Notre 
Dame.  In  a  small  but  handsome  chamber,  whose  window  stood 
just  clear  of  the  shadow  of  the  great  tower,  were  seated  two 
individuals,  busied  with  their  separate  occupations.  We  will 
describe  them.  The  first,  and  the  one  who  sat  nearest  the  win 
dow,  was  a  girl  apparently  about  eighteen,  though  her  air  and 
actions,  soft  and  graceful,  and  the  silent  melancholy  of  her  coun 
tenance,  might  have  betokened  to  a  careless  observer  the  full- 
grown  woman.  Her  complexion  was  dark  brunette,  her  long 
hair  black  as  ebony,  her  eye  of  the  same  color,  and  liquid  as  the 
soft  words  that  at  intervals-  fell  from  her  prettily  curving  lips. 
She  was  plying  the  needle  upon  a  piece  of  fine  cambric,  but 
occasionally  casting  a  glance  into  the  crowded  thoroughfare 
below. 

At  a  little  distance  from  her,  and  nearer  to  the  fire — for  it  was 
December — sat  a  fine-looking  youth.  The  dark  complexion,  the 
raven  hair,  the  eye,  and  the  general  outline  of  his  features,  at 
once  bespoke  him  the  brother  of  the  girl.  On  his  left  arm  rested 
the  palette,  he  held  the  pencil  in  his  right  hand,  and  before  him 
stood  the  easel,  supporting  the  unfinished  portrait  of  a  lady.  He 
was,  as  may  be  supposed,  an  artist.  His  native  country,  as  that 
of  his  sister,  Italy.  They  were  the  offspring  of  the  bright  sun 
and  the, burning  clime  of  Naples,  and  had  wandered  to  the 
world's  metropolis  of  art,  in  order  that  the  young  painter  might 
seek  that  reward  of  genius,  which  the  poverty  of  his  countrymen 
had  denied  him  at  home. 

25  «8» 


290 

We  have  sa.d  that  the  painting  which  leaned  against  the  easel 
was  unfinished.  Enough  had  been  done,  however,  to  show  that  it 
was  the  portrait  of  a  lovely  woman.  The  head  and  neck  were 
perfected.  The  drapery  only  remained  to  be  thrown  around  one 
of  the  most  perfect  conceptions  that  ever  emanated  from  the 
brain  of  an  artist.  The  head  was  slightly  thrown  back,  giving 
full  effect  to  the  bold  but  graceful  curving  .of  the  neck — the  head 
was  oval,  of  the  most  voluptuous  formation — the  complexion  of  a 
pure  blonde,  the  cheeks  slightly  tinted  with  the  rose,  while  the  eyes 
and  hair  were  of  the  deepest  black,  the  latter  gracefully  folded  and 
plaited  into  a  thick  cluster  at  the  back  of  the  head.  The  upper 
outline  of  the  nose  was  a  perfectly  straight  line ;  such  a  nose  as 
the  Grecian  sculptors  loved  to  cut  from  their  pure  Parian — while 
the  curved  and  classic  lip  seemed  constantly  to  distill  dewy  drops 
of  crystal  honey.  In  short,  the  painting  was  the  chef  cTceuvre 
of  an  artist's  skill,  as  the  original  must  have  been  of  the  handi 
work  of  nature. 

But  how  know  we  that  there  was  an  original  ?  Might  it  not 
have  been  what  painters  term  a  "  fancy  sketch  ?"  No  such  thing. 
The  long  and  ardent  gaze  which  the  young  painter  directed,  from 
time  to  time,  on  the  lovely  object  before  him,  the  deep-drawn  sigh 
that  escaped  him  as  he  turned  again  to  his  colors,  bore  evidence 
of  a  feeling  far  different  from  the  mere  enthusiasm  of  an  artist  for 
the  creation  of  his  own  fancy,  and  plainly  declared  that  the  love 
liness  before  him  was  God's,  not  his  conception. 

"  It  is  impossible !"  muttered  the  artist  to  himself,  as  he  flung 
himself  back  despairingly  in  his  seat.  "  Impossible — the  divine 
pencil  of  Angelo  himself  would  fail  to  copy  the  angel  in  her 
eyes.  I  shall  try  to  see  her  once  more  before  the  sun  goes  down 
— 'tis  a  lovely  evening — she  may  be  at  her  window — oh !  could  I 
but  see  her  seated  here — here,  in  this  soft  light  for  one  moment 
— it  might  be  done.  Sister !" 

"  Guido !" 

"Here,  sister,  what  think  you  now?  have  I  changed  the 
expression  in  aught  ?" 


291 

The  Italian  girl  rose  from  her  seat  at  the  window,  approached 
the  painting,  and  stood  for  a  moment  in  silent  contemplation 
of  it. 

"  It  is,  indeed  much  more  like  " 

"  Like !  Why,  what  mean  you  ?  You  have  never  seen  her, 
Bianca  ?" 

"  I — I,"  answered  the  sister,  in  an  embarrassed  manner ;  "  I 
meant  that  the  expression  is  better — more  beautiful  now." 

The  painter  seemed  satisfied  with  the  answer,  and  continued : 

"  Oh,  Bianca,  could  you  but  see  the  original !  I  have  half  a 
mind  to  show  her  to  you  some  day — but  then  how  different  would 
she  seem  to  us !  You  can  only  see  her  with  your  eyes ;  I  feel  her 
in  my  heart,  in  my  pulse,  everywhere.  She  is  to  me  as  the  sun 
that  lights  yonder  gilded  cupola,  and  lends  it  all  its  glory  and 
brightness" — (the  painter  had  approached  the  window — the 
great  tower  of  Notre  Dame  had  already  flung  its  deep  shadow 
upon  the  sill,  and  only  the  highest  turrets  of  houses  were  bur 
nished  by  the  declining  sunbeam — a  cupola  with  gilded  cross  rose 
over  the  distant  roofs  to  which  the  young  artist  pointed,  as  he 
continued) — "  Yes,  Bianca,  like  in  more  ways  than  one — though 
that  spire  raises  its  head  proudly  over  the  humble  roofs  of  the 
bourgeois,  it  can  never  reach  the  sun — hopeless — hopeless !" 

"  And  yet,  Gaetano,  the  sun  condescends  to  come  to  that 
cupola  and  kiss  it." 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you,  sweet  sister — now  shall  I  take  fresh 

%  courage  from  the  omen  you  have  uttered — my  cloak,  I  must  to 

the  Chaussde  d'Antin — one  more  gaze,  one  more  look  into  that 

lovely  eye,  and  if  my  hand  and  heart  fail  me  not,  I  shall  have  it 

upon  the  canvas,  and  feast  upon  it  at  leisure.     Adieu,  sister !" 

The  enthusiastic  lover  seized  his  chapeau,  threw  a  Neapolitan 
cloak  over  his  shoulders,  and,  opening  the  door,  hurried  out  into 
the  street. 

Bianca  stood  for  a  moment  gazing  earnestly  at  the  picture. 

14  How  like  him  /"  soliloquized  she  ;  "  the  eye — the  nose — the 
,;  lip — all — all  like  him  !  how  very  strange — and  nearly  betrayed, 


292 

too — ha !  I  must  be  more  cautious ;"  and  so  saying,  the  beau 
tiful  girl  again  approached  the  window  and  looked  out  in  to*  the 
street. 

She  had  not  remained  long  in  this  position  when  some  object 
in  the  crowded  thoroughfare  below  attracted  her  attention,  caused 
her  to  start,  and  sent  the  red  blood  mantling  over  her  fair  cheeks. 
A  young  man,  dressed  in  the  prevailing  fashion,  was  standing  at 
a  distant  corner,  under  the  shade  of  a  cafe  awning.  A  light 
French  cloak  was  thrown  gracefully  over  his  well-made  figure, 
and  a  black  moustache  and  imperial  added  to  the  expression  of 
his  handsome  face.  From  beneath  his  becoming  chapeau,  black, 
wavy  curls  fell  upon  his  shoulders,  and  his  whole  appearance  gave 
the  impression  of  graceful  and  manly  beauty. 

During  the  few  moments  in  which  the  painter  and  his  sister 
had  been  criticising  the  portrait,  this  young  man  had  passed  and 
repassed  the  front  of  the  house,  with  his  eyes  anxiously  yet 
stealthily  bent  on  the  window  of  the  painter's  studio,  but  the 
moment  the  latter  issued  from  the  street  door,  the  young  man, 
who  had  evidently  been  waiting  for  this,  crossed  over  the  street 
and  entered. 

Presently  a  slight  knock  was  heard,  the  door  opened,  and 
Bianca's  lover  stood  in  her  presence. 

"  Dearest  Bianca !"  was  the  exclamation  of  the  youth,  as  he 
kissed  the  red  lip  freely  offered  to  him.  There  was  no  coquetry 
here.  The  lover  had  won  the  affections  of  the  Italian  maiden, 
and  she  yielded  to  him  without  resistance  this  swfcet  favor  of 
confiding  love. 

"  Guido  has  gone  out,  Bianca ;  I  have  watched  him  from  the 
street — think  you,  love,  he  will  soon  return  ?" 

"  No,  not  soon,  Louis,  he  will  remain  out  until  nightfall — he 
always  does  when  he  goes  on  the  same  errand." 

"  "What  errand,  Bianca '** 

"  Why,  your  own,"  replied  the  girl,  laughing,  "  he  has  gone  to 
see  his  sweetheart." 

"Ha!  Guidoin  love?" 


293 

X 

u  Aye,  like  yourself  again." 

"  But  he  never  told  me  of  his  love." 

"  Have  you  ever  told  him  of  yours  ?  ha!" - 

"  No,  sweetest,  but  I  mean  to  break  it  to  him  the  very  first 
opportunity." 

A  gleam  of  joy  flashed  over  the  features  of  the  Italian  maiden. 
It  was  this  she  had  long  desired,  for  the  secrecy  of  her  attachment 
to  the  young  Frenchman  (which,  though  pure  and  holy,  had  been 
carefully  concealed  from  her  brother)  distressed  her;  and  she 
often  wished  that  she  had  made  Guido  a  confidant.  She  doubted 
not  that,  had  this  been  done,  from  the  peculiar  nature  of  her 
brother's  own  circumstances,  he  would  have  sympathized  with  her ; 
but  since  he  had  freely  confided  in  her,  she  knew  that  his  pride 
would  be  wounded  by  the  deception  she  was  practising,  and  per 
haps  in  the  violence  of  his  nature  he  might  forbid  the  advances 
of  her  lover. 

"  Do,  dearest  Louis,  for  my  sake  do  !"  was  the  reply  of  Bianca. 

"  I  will,  and  to-morrow,  Bianca.  What  think  you  ?  I  have 
good  news  for  you — my  kind  father  has  given  me  leave  to  choose 
a  wife  for  myself — I  should  have  done  so,  at  all  events,  but  how 
much  pleasanter  to  have  one's  father's  consent ;  and  now  if  we 
can  gain  your  brother's,  we  may  get  speedily  married." 

"  What  happiness  1" 

The  lover  leaned  forward  and  kissed  the  beautiful  cheek  of  his 
mistress. 

"  Guido  will  not  refuse  it ;  he  loves,  and,  like  ourselves  "— - 

"  Ah !  not  like  us." 

"  Not  like  us  !     What  mean  you,  Bianca  ?" 

"Alas!  poor  Guido!" 

"  Poor  Guido !  and  why !" 

"  His  love,  I  fear,  is  hopeless." 

*•  For  what  reason — know  you  the  lady  ?" 

"  No,  but  my  brother  has  told  rne  that  she  is  high  in  rank,  and 
he  can  never  become  acquainted  with  her.  He  only  loves  at  a 
distance." 

25* 


294 

"  Nonsense !  Guido  has  everything  to  hope — he  is  growing 
famous — genius  and  reputation  will  win  love  and  beauty ;  besides, 
your  brother  (he  were  not  else  your  brother,  Bianca)  is  hand 
some — he  is  cast  in  that  mould  that  women  admire — by-the-by,  I 
heard  a  very  fine  lady  say  (and  she  only  saw  him  passing  her 
window)  that  he  was  the  handsomest  gentleman  in  Paris — i*  faith, 
I  believe  he  has  won  her  heart ;  but,  poor  girl,  he  never  saw 
her.  How  strange  is  this  thing  love.  It  is  so  seldom  mutual 
like  ours ;  we  were  made  for  each  other — don't  you  think  so, 
Bianca  ?" 

Bianca  smiled,  and  received  another  glowing  kiss  upon  her 
beautiful  cheek. 

**  To-morrow,  then,  Bianca,  I  will  tell  Guido  that  I,  his  friend, 
am  in  love  with  his  sister.  Shall  I  say  tint  she  loves  me  in 
return  ?" 

"Yes— yes!" 

"  Well,  then,  I  shall,  and  afterwards  ask  his  consent  to  our 
marriage ;  you  know  I  am  rich  enough — he  will  not  refuse  me 
on  that  ground,  I  think,  and  then  we  will  be  married,  and  I  shall 
have  the  sweetest  wife  in  all  Paris ;  so  happy  we  shall  be !  Shall 
we  not,  Bianca  ?" 
•"Oh,  so  happy  I1' 

"  But  what  can  I  do  for  Guido,  he  will  be  so  lonely  without 
you  !  I  wish  I  could  help  him  to  a  wife — that  fine  lady  he 
believes  to  be  beyond  his  reach ;  perhaps  I  may  know  her,  and 
can  introduce  him.  Can  you  give  me  no  clue  by  which  to  find 
out  who  she  is  ?" 

"  Yes,  yes !  here  is  her  likeness,"  suddenly  recollected  Bianca, 
pointing  to  the  beautiful  portrait  on  the  easel. 

"  What !"  exclaimed  the  lover,  suddenly  starting,  while  a  gleam 
of  joy  passed  over  his  countenance ;  "  this  her  ?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Bianca. 

"  Where  did  he  paint  this  likeness?" 

"  Here — from  recollection." 

"  She  lives  in  the  Chaussee  d'Antin  P* 


295 

"  She  does ;  and  do  you  know,  Louis,  I  nearly  betrayed  myself 
to  Guido  this  evening,  in  speaking  of  her ;  for  I  have  often  fan 
cied  that  the  portrait  resembled  you !  I  had  nearly  spoken  out 
your  name !" 

"  It  is  very  natural  she  should  resemble  me,  she  is  my  sister." 

"  Your  sister  /" 

"Yes,  truly,  that  is  the  likeness  of  my'sister  Eugenie,  and  I  am 
right  glad ;  now  I  can  ask  Guido  for  my  Bianca  with  more 
confidence  of  success,  as  I  will  be  enabled  to  do  him  a  favor  in 
return.  Ha!  ha!  ha!  what  a  singular  discovery!  We  shall 
have  a  fair  exchange  here,  though  I  think  the  balance  will  be  in 
my  favor,  sweet  Bianca." 

"But  will  your  sister  care  for  my  poor  brother?"  artlessly 
inquired  the  Italian  girl. 

"Never  mind,  Bianca;  leave  that  to  my  management.  But 
the  twilight  is  darkening;  I  must  away  ere  he  return.  Say 
nothing  of  our  discovery — not  a  word — it  would  mar  my 
schemes.  I  shall  make  the  rascal  so  much  my  debtor  that  he 
dare  not  refuse  me  anything.  Adieu,  sweet  Bianca,  adieu !"  and, 
kissing  the  fair  cheek  of  his  mistress,  the  young  Parisian  was 
soon  once  more  in  the  street,  and  on  his  way  homeward. 

Bianca  reluctantly  closed  the  door  as  the  echo  of  his  footsteps 
died  away  in  the  distance,  and  approaching  the  portrait,  she  sat 
down  before  it,  gazing  earnestly  upon  the  picture.  After  a  while 
she  leaned  forward,  and  murmuring  the  words,  "  sweet  sister," 
imprinted  an  enthusiastic  kiss  on  the  lifeless  canvas.  She  did 
not  perceive  that  the  door  had  opened,  and  that  her  brother, 
having  entered  the  room,  was  standing  beside  her. 

"  Sweet  sister !  ah,  Bianca,  it  can  never  be  so  !  I  am  mad  to 
think  of  it !"  added  the  painter,  in  a  melancholy  tone. 

"  Do  not  despair,  Guido,"  said  Bianca,  cheerfully,  when  she  had 
recovered  herself  from  the  slight  agitation  occasioned  by  her 
brother's  voice  ;  "  you  know  not  what  good  fortune  may  be  in 
store  for  you." 

She  would  fain  have  told  him  all  she  knew,  but  the  injunctions 


296 

of  her  lover,  and  the  circumstances  of  her  intimacy  with  the 
young  Frenchman,  prevented  the  possibility  of  this,  and  she  was 
obliged  to  use  other  means  to  cheer  his  drooping  spirits. 

Guido  had  been  to  the  Chausse'e  d'Antin ;  he  had  seen  the 
object  of  his  love  in  her  window,  and  screened  by  a  friendly 
projection,  had  remained  for  half  an  hour  gazing  with  rapture 
upon  her  beautiful  features. 

She  had  left  the  window  as  the  twilight  darkened  down ;  and 
the  painter,  dispirited  and  despairing,  returned  to  his  home.  He 
did  not  even  yet  know  her  name.  He  had  not  had  the  courage 
to  inquire;  but  he  felt  that  any  advances  from  a  poor  artist 
towards  one  living  in  such  a  splendid  mansion,  would  be  treated 
with  scorn.  He  was  fast  rising,  however,  into  notice  as  a  man  of 
true  genius,  and  had  already  made  many  friends  among  the 
higher  classes,  among  whom  was  the  young  Parisian,. Louis  Le 
Breton,  but  this  friendship  had  not  as  yet  extended  to  the  full 
confidence  which  admits  the  stranger  into  the  family  circle. 

In  the  midst  of  gloomy  thoughts  that  were  fast  being  dissipated 
by  the  kind  condolence  of  his  beloved  sister,  the  door  opened? 
and  a  note  was  handed  by  a  liveried  servant  to  the  artist.  The 

servant  retreated.     The  note  ran  as  follows  : 

• 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND  : — I  have  shown  the  portrait  which  you 
painted  of  me  to  my  family.  It  has  been  so  much  admired,  that 
my  sister  insists  upon  having  her  likeness  painted  by  you,  if  you 
can  find  time ;  and  perhaps  you  could  make  it  convenient  to 
come  to  our  house,  as  she  is  at  present  somewhat  indisposed.  If 
so,  you  will  extremely  oblige  your  friend, 

"Louis  LE  BRETON. 

"To-morrow,  at  ten  o'clock,  I  will  wait  for  you  at  home,  and 
introduce  you  to  your  study.  You  will  find  our  house  at  No.  40 
Rue ,  Chausse'e  d'Antin." 

"  I  can  see  the  meaning  of  all  this,"  thought  Bianca ;  "  kind 


297 

Louis!    how   happy   will   my  brother  be  when   lie  finds  out 
whose  likeness  he  is  to  paint/* 


.  . 

"  Can  it  be  possible  ?"  inquired  the  astonished  artist  of  Mr  iself, 
when  next  morning  he  came  up  with  No.  40,  and  found  it  WZM  the 
very  mansion  into  the  windows  of  which  he  had  often  £;azed 
with  longing  eyes.  "Strange  I  had  not  known  this  before. 
Louis  never  told  me  where  he  lived.  *  Le  Breton,'  No.  40 — it  is 
indeed !" 

His  hand  trembled  on  the  bell-handle  ;  he  rang ;  Louis  himself 
came  to  the  door  to  meet  him,  and  in  a  moment  the  painter  found 
himself  in  the  presence  of  her 'whom  he  had  long  secretly 
adored.  He  managed,  however,  to  conceal  his  emotions  in  the 
presence  of  Louis.  The  latter  secretly  enjoyed  the  ruse  which 
he  was  playing.  But  the  emotions  were  not  all  on  one  side ;  for  • 
happily  this  was  the  lady  of  whom  Louis  had  spoken  to  Bianca, 
as  having  so  ardently  admired  her  brother.  These  were  btrange 
coincidences. 

The  portrait  was  commenced,  and  progressed  for  several  suc 
cessive  days,  but  the  artist  and  his  sister  began  instinctively  to 
understand  each  other's  feelings  ;  and  one  day  as  young  Le  Breton 
entered  the  drawing-room,  he  saw,  with  feigned  astonishment,  his 
Italian  friend  sitting  close  by  his  sister,  gazing  ardently  into  her 
countenance,  and  holding  her  hand  in  his,  while  the  pencils, 
palette  and  paints  lay  unheeded  around. 

The  painter  rose  proudly  and  was  about  to  retire,  thinking  that 
all  was  lost.  He  was  stopped,  however,  by  his  friend,  who  rushed 
forwards  and  seized  him  by  the  hand,  exclaiming : 

"  Come,  Guido,  whither  so  fast  ?  Bo  not  suppose  that  I  am 
angry.  I  know  it  all — you  love  Eugenie — she  loves  you  in  return, 
and  it  was  my  management  that  brought  you  together ;  you  shall 
have  her,  for  my  father,  I  know,  will  consent  to  what  I  propose, 
but  first  you  must  promise  me  a  favor  in  return." 


298 

"What  is  that?" 

"Bianca!" 

"My  sister?" 

"Yes.  We,  -without  your  knowledge,  have  long  loved  each 
either.  It  was  during  an  interview  with  her  that  I  discovered 
your  partiality  for  Eugenie  here — the  portrait,  Guido !  the  por 
trait  !  Coine  now,  shall  we  exchange  sisters  ?" 

«  Willingly  r 

And  so  they  did,  for  soon  after  there  was  an  extensive  double 
wedding  in  the  Chausse'e  d'Antin. 


THE 

LAST  ADVENTURE   OF  A  COQUETTE. 

A.  MORE  capricious  coquette  than  the  beautiful  Kate  Crossley 
never  played  with  hapless  hearts.  She  is  now  a  sober  matron, 
the  wife  of  an  elegant  husband,  and  the  mother  of  two  beautiful 
children.  We  hate  to  rake  up  the  ashes  of  bitter  remembrances ; 
(for,  believe  us,  gentle  reader,  this  story,  though  short,  is  neverthe 
less  true ;  and  we  know  one  young  gentleman  at  least  who  will 
recognize  the  unhappy  hero  of  it.)  But  we  cannot  pass  over  in 
silence  the  last  episode  in  the  unmarried  life  of  Kate.  It  may  be 
a  warning  to  future  unfortunate  lovers,  and  afford  a  striking 
instance  of  that  utter  heartlessness  which  a  beautiful  flirt  alone 
can  feel. 

Kate  was  an  heiress,  that  is,  a  moderate  fortune  of  two  hun 
dred  thousand  had  been  accumulated  expressly  for  her  use — for 
she  was  an  only  child.  She  had  a  much  larger  fortune,  however, 
in  her  face ;  and  that  evening  never  passed,  that  the  threshold  of 
her  father's  comfortable  dwelling  was  not  crossed  by  half  a  score 
of  elegant  beaux,  all  bloods,  and  some  of  them  men  of  fortune. 
Kate  amused  herself  by  making  these  young  gentlemen  jealous. 
A  beautiful  flirt,  who  can  command  even  the  small  sum  of  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  is  a  dangerous  creature  in  the  commu 
nity  of  Philadelphia  ;  and  already  on  Kate  Crossley's  account,  had 
two  parties  of  the  aforesaid  young  gentlemen  crossed  over  to  Cam- 
den  with  sanguinary  intentions.  Fortunately, however,  we  have  the 
most  vigilant  police  in  the  world,  and  a  mayor  whose  instinct  is 
so  keen,  that  it  has  been  known  to  forewarn  him  of  the  time  and' 

299 


SOU 

place  of  a  duel,  the  arrangements  of  which  had  been  kept  reli 
giously  secret  from  all  but  the  principals  and  their  seconds. 

By  such  efforts  of  genius  on  the  part  of  our  worthy  mayor,  had 
the  chivalrous  lovers  of  our  heroine  been  spared  the  pain  of  blood 
letting,  and  having  purchased  the  pleasing  reputation  of  courage, 
they  were  bound  over,  and  thus  procured  the  sweet  privilege  of 
frowning  at  each  other  hereafter  without  the  necessity  of  fighting 
for  it. 

Matters  were  progressing  thus  ;  lovers  were  alternately  sighing, 
and  smiling,  and  scowling,  when  the  elegant  Augustus  Nob 
returned  from  his  European  tour,  bringing  with  him,  of  course,  a 
foreign  moustache,  and  a  decidedly  foreign  accent.  Nob  was  an 
only  son  of  one  of  the  first  families.  He  had  been  left  an  indepen 
dent  fortune  by  his  parents  (deceased),  most  of  which  he  had 
contrived  to  spend  in  Paris  and  London.  This,  however,  was  still 
a  secret,  and  Nob  was  welcome  everywhere. 

But  under  no  mahogany  did  Mr.  Augustus  Nob  stretch  his 
limbs  more  frequently  than  under  the  hospitable  board  of  Mrs. 
Crossley.  We  say  Mrs.  Crossley,  for  although  her  good  husband 
still  lived,  he  was  only  identified  in  the  house  as  a  piece  of  its 
plainest  furniture. 

Crossley  had  served  his  purpose  in  this  world — he  had  made 
the  two  hundred  thousand — had  retired  from  business,  and  was  no 
longer  of  any  value.  It  was  now  Mrs.  C.'s  turn  to  play  her  part, 
which  consisted  in  practically  proving  that  two  hundred  thousand 
can  be  spent  almost  as  fast  as  it  can  be  made.  Balls,  soirees,  and 
suppers,  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession.  Morning  levees 
were  held,  attended  by  crowds  of  bloods.  The  elegant  Augustus 
was  always  present,  and  always  dressed  in  the  most  fashionable 
rig.  A  party  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Crossley  and  the  elegant 
Augustus  not  present  ?  Who  could  bear  the  idea  ?  Not  Mrs. 
C.  herself,  who  was  constantly  exclaiming — 

"  My  dear  Augustus — he  is  the  very  life  and  soul  of  us ;  how 
charming,  how  handsome,  and  how  fashionable !  just  the  air  that 
travelling  always  gives.  How  much  I  long  to  call  him  my  dear 


301 

son !"  and  in  fact  Mrs.  C.  was  leaving  no  stone  unturned  to  consum 
mate  this  maternal  design.  She  was  not  likely  to  find  much 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  "  elegant "  himself.  Not  only  would 
the  two  hundred  thousand  have  been  particularly  acceptable  at 
that  time,  but  the  heart  of  the  young  gentleman,  or,  in  other 
words,  his  vanity,  had  become  greatly  excited,  and  he  felt  much 
disposed  to  carry  off  the  coquette  in  triumph,  in  spite  of  the 
agony  and  disappointment  of  at  least  a  score  of  competitors. 

But  where  is  our  heroine,  Kate,  all  this  time  ?  Flirting,  of 
course,  with  a  dozen  beaux,  each  at  one  moment  thinking  himself 
most  favored,  and  the  next  spurned  and  despairing.  Now  she 
smiles  upon  Mr.  Fitz-rush,  and  compliments  him  upon  the  small- 
ness  of  his  foot.  Fitz  blushes,  simpers,  and  appears  not  at  all  vain 
of  his  feet — in  fact,  stammers  out  that  they  are  "  large,  very  large, 
indeed ;"  to  which  candid  acknowledgment  on  his  part,  should 
the  company  appear  to  consent,  he  carelessly  adds  that  "  they  are 
small  for  a  man  of  his  size,"  insinuating  that  it  is  nothing  out  of 
the  way  to  find  small  men  with  little  feet,  and  little  credit  should 
therefore  be  attached ;  but  when  a  man  of  large  dimensions  is 
found  with  elegant  little  feet  like  his,  the  credit  ought  to  be  qua 
drupled  or  tripled  at  least. 

Kate,  the  talented  Kate,  understands  it  all ;  and  after  smiling 
quietly  at  the  gentleman's  silliness,  she  turns  her  satire  upon  an 
other  victim. 

"  Ah  !  my  dear  Mr.  Cressy,  how  your  eyes  sparkled  last  night 
at  the  Opera — they  looked  like  a  basilisk's." 

This  gentleman's  eyes  were  of  a  very  dull  green  color,  and 
looked  more  like  a  cat's  than  a  basilisk's,  but  not  "  seeing  them  as 
others  saw  them,"  he  replied  that  "  he  could  not  help  it — the 
music  always  excited  him  so." 

"  Ah  !  the  music,  Mr.  Cressy  ;  but  perhaps  " 

She  was  prevented  from  finishing  her  reply  by  the  announce 
ment  of  a  gentleman  who  had  just  made  his  appearance  in  the 
doorway,  and  who  was  no  less  a  personage  than  the  elegant  Augus 
tus  Nob. 

20 


302 

To  say  that  Mr.  Augustus  Nob  was  a  small  fish  in  this  party, 
would  be  to  speak  what  was  not  true ;  on  the  other  hand,  he  was 
a  big  fish — in.  fact  the  biggest  in  the  kettle.  Any  one  who  had 
witnessed  the  sensation  produced  by  his  announcement,  would 
have  judged  so.  The  coquette  broke  oft'  in  the  middle  of  her 
satire,  and,  running  towards  the  door,  conducted  him  to  the  seat 
nearest  to  her  own,  where,  after  an  elegant  bow,  he  seated  himself 
— a  full  grown  lion.  During  the  continuance  of  this  welcome 
reception,  various  pantomimic  gestures  were  exhibited  by  differ 
ent  members  of  the  company.  There  was  a  general  uneasy  shift 
ing  of  chairs — dark  looks  were  shot  towards  the  "  elegant,"  and 
conciliatory,  and  even  friendly  glances  were  exchanged  among 
the  beaux,  who,  forgetting  for  the  moment  their  mutual  jealousies, 
concentrated  their  united  envy  upon  their  common  rival.  If 
Cressy's  eyes  never  sparkled  before,  they  certainly  did  upon  this 
occasion ;  and  the  right  leg  of  Fitz-rush  was  flung  violently  over 
the  left  knee,  where  it  continued  to  oscillate  with  an  occasional 
nervous  twitching  of  the  toes,  expressive  of  a  hardly  repressed 
desire  on  the  part  of  its  owner  to  try  the  force  of  those  little  feet 
on  the  favored  "  elegant's  "  handsome  person.  It  was  all  in  vain, 
however ;  Nob  was  evidently  the  successful  lover,  for  he  sat  close  to 
the  graceful  creature — that  is,  closer  than  any  other — and  chatted 
to  her  of  balls  and  operas ;  and  confident  of  his  position,  he  did 
not  care  a  fig  for  the  envy  and  jealousy  which  on  all  sides  sur 
rounded  him. 

And  Kate  showered  all  her  attentions  upon  Nob,  and  Nob  tri 
umphed  over  his  rivals. 

Matters  progressed  .thus  for  several  weeks,  Nob  still  paying 
marked  attentions  to  the  coquette,  whose  chief  delight  seemed  to 
be,  not  only  to  torment  her  host  of  other  lovers,  but  occasionally 
the  "  elegant "  himself. 

Augustus,  however,  still  continued  first  in  favor,  and,  from  the 
attentions  which  he  received  at  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Crossley,  it  was 
conjectured  by  the  family  friends  that  a  marriage  with  her 
daughter  was  not  far  distant.  The  less  aspiring  of  Kate's  former 


303 

lovers  had  long  since  "hauled  their  wind,"  and  only  a  few,  among 
whom  were  Fitz-rush  and  Cressy,  still  continued  to  hang  on  des 
pairingly  to  what  was  evidently  a  forlorn  hope. 

Nob  openly  boasted  that  he  had  run  them  all  out  of  the  field, 
and  was  heard  triumphantly  to  assert  that  ho  was  breaking  the 
heart  of  the  "  deaw  creataw,"  and  that  he  "  would  be  under  the 
positive  necessity  of  healing  it  at  the  hymeneal  altaw."  "  He  was 
very  young  to  marry — quite  a  child — but  then  to  keep  the  dear 
sylph  in  suspense — oh !  it  would  be  bawbawous — positively  baw- 
bawous  ?" 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  cunning,  the  talented  Kate  was* 
ignorant  of  these  boasts  on  the  part  of  the  elegant  Nob.  No — 
no — Kate  knew  everything,  and  among  other  things  she  knew  Mr. 
Augustus  Nob  thoroughly ;  and  she  resolved  on  taking  most 
exquisite  vengeance  upon  him. 


Spring — delightful  spring — has  returned,  and  all  nature  looks 
as  sweet  as  the  lips  of  a  lovely  woman.  The  trees  upon  our  side 
walks,  and  in  our  beautiful  squares,  are  once  more  covered  with 
green  and  shady  foliage,  and  from  the  windows  of  high  houses 
hang  handsome  cages,  from  which  those  warbling  prisoners — the 
mockbird,  and  the  troupial,  and  the  linnet  and  canary  bird,  send 
forth  their  dulcet  notes,  filling  the  streets  with  music  and  melody. 

Fashionable  ladies  are  beginning  to  make  their  appearance  in 
the  streets  unattended  by  gentlemen,  as  it  is  the  shopping  hour, 
and  gentlemen  would  be  only  in  the  way.  From  the  door  of  an 
elegant  mansion  in  the  upper  part  of  Chestnut  street  issues  a 
graceful  and  beautiful  girl,  who  is  proceeding  down  the  street 
towards  the  busier  part  of  the  city.  She  does  not  loiter  nor  look 
in  at  the  shop-windows,  as  ladies  generally  do  at  this  hour,  but 
walks  nimbly  along  as  though  she  came  forth  upon  some  precon 
ceived  errand.  As  she  nears  that  part  of  Chestnut  street  which 
is  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  State  House,  she  lessens  her  gait, 
%nd  walks  more  leisurely.  She  is  heard  to  soliloquize — 


304: 

"  In  truth,  it  is  as  much  as  my  courage,  nay,  even  my  reputa 
tion  is  worth,  to  enter  the  studio  of  my  sweet  painter  thus  alone ; 
but  what  can  I  do,  since  the  dear  fellow  has  been  banished  from 
our  houvse  by  the  aristocratic  notions  of  my  mother?  Well,  I 
shall  risk  all  for  him,  as  he  would  for  me,  I  know.  How  happy 
it  will  make  him  to  hear  my  errand.  Only  to  think  that  I  am 
forced  to  an  elopement,  or  marry  that  ninny  whom  my  mother 
has  chosen  for  me.  But  I  shall  elope — I  shall.  Henry  has  so 
often  proposed  it — how  happy  he  shall  be  to  hear  me  consent ; 
but  I  shall  do  it  in  my  own  way — that  is  fixed.  Henry  will  laugh 
*vhen  I  tell  him  of  my  plans.  Some  one  may  be  with  him  at  this 
moment,  and  deprive  me  of  the  pleasure  of  conversing  with  him ; 
but  then  it  is  all  written  here,  and  I  can  see  him  soon  again. 
1  HENRY  WILUS,  MINIATURE  PAINTER.'  Yes !  this  is  the  sweet 
fellow's  place — no  one  observes  me  i3nter."  So  saying,  the  grace 
ful  girl  entered  a  large  hall,  the  door  of  which  stood  open,  and 
passing  up  a  flight  of  steps,  she  tapped  gently  with  her  small 
gloved  fingers  upon  the  door  of  a  chamber,  upon  which  was 
repeated,  in  gold  letters,  the  same  words  that  were  exhibited  in 
front  of  the  building — 

"  HENRY  WILLIS'  MINIATURE  PAINTER." 

In  a  moment  the  door  opened,  disclosing  within  the  studio  of  an 
artist,  the  artist  himself,  a  fine  looking  youth,  with  dark  hair  and 
slight  moustache,  and  dressed  in  his  painter's  blouse,  while  in  the 
background  could  be  seen  a  prim,  stiff  old  lady  m  high  cap  and 
curls,  steadily  and  rigidly  sitting  for  her  portrait. 

At  sight  of  the  new  comer  the  artist's  countenance  became 
bright  with  love  and  pleasure,  and  the  exclamation  "  dearest !" 
that  almost  involuntarily  escaped  him,  told  that  they  were  no 
strangers  to  each  other.  The  young  lady,  on  the  other  hand,  per 
ceiving  the  sitter  through  the  half-opened  door,  glided  back  a  step 
or  two,  so  as  to  be  unperceived  by  the  latter,  and  taking  from  her 
reticule  a  folded  paper,  she  held  it  out  to  the  palter,  accompany- 


305 

ing  the  act  with  these  words — "  A  message  for  you,  Henry  ;  it 
would  have  been  pleasanter,  perhaps,  to  have  delivered  it  verbally, 
but  you  see  I  have  been  prepared  for  any  emergency."  So  say 
ing,  she  delivered  the  paper — received  a  kiss  upon  her  litsile  gloved 
hand — smiled — said,  "  good  morning !  and  graciously  glided  back 
into  the  street. 

The  artist  re-entered  his  studio — found  some  excuse  to  dis 
miss  the  stiff  old  lady,  and  was  soon  buried,  with  beaming  face 
and  beating  heart,  in  the  contents  of  the  paper  he  had  just 
received. 

He  rose  from  its  perusal  like  a  man  mad — mad  from  excess 
of  joy^ — mad  from  love ;  and  hastily  striding  up  and  down  his 
small  studio,  he  exclaimed,  "Yes,  dearest  heart!  anything — any 
thing  you  wish  shall  be  done.  One  week,  and  she  shall  be  mine ; 
and  such  a  mischievous  trick — but  the  fool  deserves  it,  richly 
deserves  it,  for  aspiring  to  the  hand  of  one  so  immeasurably  his 
superior.  Ninny  !  he  little  knew  how  deeply  she  has  loved,  sweet 
girl !  How  she  has  deceived  them — father,  mother,  friends — all ! 
How  sweet  and  how  powerful  is  first  love !"  \ 


Kate  Crossley  had  often  been  heard  to  say,  that  whenever  she 
married,  there  would  be  an  elopement.  She  either  had  a  presen 
timent  that  such  would  be  her  fate,  or  she  so  despised  the  modern, 
un romantic  fashion  of  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  that  she 
was  resolved  that  it  should  be.  Consequently,  when  the  elegant 
Augustus  Nob,  on  the  first  day  of  May,  1842,  knelt  before  her  in 
the  most  fashionable  manner,  and  made  a  most  fashionable  decla 
ration,  quite  confident  of  being  accepted — who  could  have  refused  ? 
— he  was  accepted,  with  the  proviso  that  it  should  be  an  elope 
ment. 

"  All  right !"  soliloquized  Augustus,  as  he  closed  the  hall-door 
behind  him ;  "  all  right,  and  very  simple !  old  lady  decidedly  in 
my  favwaw — reconciliation  easy- — carriage  and  four — private 

26* 


306 

clergy — two  days  in  a  hotel — sent  for,  and  all  right  again — sim 
ple,  vewy  simple,  and  vewy  romantic,  too !" 


It  was  a  dark  night — a  very  dark  night  for  the  month  of  May 
—and  a  very  cold  one,  too;  and  under  the  shadow  of  some  trees 
that  grew  upon  the  sidewalk  in  the  upper  part  of  Chestnut  street, 
making  the  spot  still  darker,  might  be  seen  an  elegant  carriage 
and  horses  drawn  close  up  to  the  curbstone. 

The  driver  was  on  the  box,  enveloped  in  a  great  coat,  and  at 
a  short  distance  from  the  carriage,  and  leaning  against  a  tree, 
might  be  seen  the  figure  "of  a  young  man,  fashionably  and 
elegantly  attired.  He  wore  a  cloth  cloak,  loosely  hanging  from 
his  shoulders,  and  he  was  evidently  waiting  for  some  one  to  arrive 
and  enter  the  carriage  with  him.  There  were  no  passers  by,  how 
ever,  to  conjecture  his  motives  and  actions,  as  it  was  nearly  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  streets  were  quiet.  He  repeatedly 
took  out  a  splendid  watch,  and  seemed  impatiently  waiting  for 
some  fixed  hour.  Presently  the  great  bell  upon  the  state-house 
tolled  two.  A  light  footstep  was  now  heard  in  the  distance,  and 
a  moment  after  a  graceful  woman  came  tripping  along,  and 
approached  the  carriage.  The  young  man  who  had  been  leaning 
against  the  tree,  immediately  recognized  the  figure,  and  stretched 
out  his  hand  to  conduct  her  to  the  carriage.  We  will  conceal 
the  names  of  the  lovers  no  longer — they  were  Augustus  Nob  and 
Kate  Crossley. 

"  My  dear  Kate,"  said  he,  "  I  have  been  waiting  for  you  half  an 
hour — how  vewy  cold  it  is." 

"  No,  no — not  cold  on  such  an  errand  as  ours !  But,  dear 
Augustus,  said  Kate,  changing  her  manner,  we  must  be  married 

by  the  Rev.  Mr.  C ,  the  good  old  man  has  been  like  a  father 

to  me,  and  I  could  not  think  of  any  one  else ;  he  has  promised 
me,  and  is  now  expecting  us." 

"  Oh,  vewy  well,"  replied  the  lover,  "  you  are  sure  he  expects  us  P 


SOT 

"Yes;  I  will  give  directions  to  the  driver."  So  saying,  she 
whispered  a  word  in  the  ear  of  the  driver,  who  seemed  perfectly 
to  understand  her,  and  entered  the  carriage,  followed  by  Augus 
tus. 

The  driver  immediately  gave  the  whip  to  his  horses,  and  turn 
ing  down  Chestnut,  entered  a  cross  street,  and  drove  northward 
towards  the  district  of  the  Northern  Liberties. 

The  carriage  drew  up  before  the  door  of  a  handsome  house  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  city,  and  the  driver,  dismounting  from  his 
box,  opened  the  door,  let  down  the  steps,  and  handed  the  lady  to 
the  pavement.  Nob  thought  that  he  saw  the  driver  kiss  his 
bride's  little  white-gloved  hand  as  she  stepped  upon  the  curbstone  ; 
but  it  was  so  dark  he  could  not  be  sure  of  this.  He  was  sure, 
however,  that  he  was  the  most  officious  and  impertinent  driver  he 
had  ever  seen  ;  and  from  the  slight  glimpse  that  he  caught  of  the 
fellow's  face,  by  the  light  of  a  street  lamp,  he  saw  that  he  wore  a 
moustache,  and  was  withal  a  very  handsome  young  man. 

It  was  no* time,  however,  to  study  physiognomy,  or  resent 
imaginary  insults.  The  door  of  the  house  was  quietly  opened  by 
some  one  within,  and  Nob  and  his  beautiful  bride  entered,  and 
were  shown  into  the  drawing-room.  The  servant  desired  Kate  to 
follow  her  to  a  dressing-room,  that  she  might  take  off  her  bonnet, 

and  intimated  to  Mr.  Nob  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  C would  wait 

upon  him  in  a  minute. 

Now  it  was  a  very  strange  thing  that  that  same  driver,  who 
kissed  Kate's  little  hand — for  he  actually  had  kissed  it — instead 
of  staying  by  his  horses,  as  every  good  driver  should  do,  gave 
them  up  to  another,  and  walked  into  the  house  close  after  the 
bride  and  bridegroom.  It  was  also  strange  that  the  bride  kept 
the  elegant  Mr.  Augustus  Nob  impatiently  waiting  in  that  front 
parlor  for  at  least  twenty  minutes;  but  the  strangest  thing  of  all 
was,  that  when  she  did  make  her  appearance,  she  still  had  her 
bonnet  on,  as  when  last  he  saw  her,  and  was  leaning  on  the  arm 
of  a  handsome  young  gentleman  wearing  moustaches  and  white 
kid  gloves,  whom  the  stupefied  Augustus  at  once  recognized  as 


308 

the  impertiLint  driver,  and  whom  the  reader  may  recognize  ao 
Henry  Willis,  the  artist.  Mr.  Willis  politely  thanked  Mr.  Nob 
for  having  kindly  attended  his  wife  thither,  and  assisted  him  in 
bringing  the  affair  to  its  happy  termination,  and  added,  that  as 
he  had  driven  the  party  thither,  he  hoped  that  Mr.  Nob  would 
condescend  to  reciprocate  and  take  the  box  on  their  return. 
Nob,  however,  having  got  the  sack  in  so  cruel  a  fashion,  felt 
no  inclination  to  take  the  box,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  was 
among  the  missing.  He  was  never  again  seen  in  the  city  of  Bro 
therly  Love. 

The  young  artist  and  his  beautiful  bride  entered  the  carriage 
and  drove  to  Jones's  Hotel,  where  they  remained  until  sent  for  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crossley,  which  happy  event  occurred  a  day  or  two 
after.  Whoever  should  see  the  modest  and  matronly  Kate  now, 
with  her  two  beautiful  children,  would  hardly  credit  the  story  that 
she  had  ever  been  a  coquette.  This,  however,  was  positively  her 
last  adventure. 


THE  DEATH   OF  CORDOVA; 

A  SOUTH  AMERICAN  STORY. 

IN  the  veranda  of  a  beautiful  villa,  overlooking  the  Rio  Cauca, 
was  seated  a  young  man  in  the  undress  uniform  of  a  military 
officer.  Certain  insignia  upon  his  dress  indicated  the  rank  of  a 
general,  and  his  air  and  bearing  evinced  a  man  accustomed  to 
receive  prompt  obedience. 

In  iiis  handsome,  though  bronzed,  countenance  might  be  traced 
those  lines  that  indicate  noble  and  generous  sentiment,  and  in  the 
quick  flash  of  his  dark  eye  there  was  something  that  spoke  the 
true  soldier  of  liberty. 

We  have  introduced  the  young  general,  Jose  Maria  Cordova — 
the  gallant  Cordova — whose  fame  at  this  time  filled  the  hearts  of 
his  countrymen,  and  whose  valiant  conduct  on  the  fields  of  Junin 
and  Ayucucho  had  won  for  him  a  reputation,  that  promised  to 
be  yet  as  bright  and  far  more  enviable  than  that  of  the  "  Liberator  " 
himself. 

He  was  at  this  time  (1829)  the  military  commandant  of  his 
native  province,  Antioquia,  and  beloved  by  the  people  of  every 
caste  and  color. 

On  a  small  table  of  braziletto,  lay  a  number  of  open  dispatches, 
in  the  perusal  of  which  the  young  general  seemed  deeply  engaged. 
It  was  still  early  in  the  day.  The  sun  had  shown  his  golden  orb 
over  the  central  cordillera,  and  was  pouring  his  rays  into  the 
fertile  valley  of  the  Cauca.  Birds  of  brilliant  plumage  fluttered 
through  the  lemon  groves  around  the  villa,  and  time  and  again 
flashed  their  bright  wings  into  the  veranda  itself,  while  their 
musical  notes  mingled  with  the  patriota  song  of  the  muleteer  at 

809 


310 

he  wound  his  way  up  the  distant  mountain,  or  the  chorus  of  the 
Chino  slave,  whose  wild  and  melancholy  voice  came  quivering 
over  the  far  fields  of  cacao  and  cofiee.  Far  down  the  river  the- 
cross  and  spire  of  Santa  Fd,  shooting  up  from  the  glowing 
embrace  of  a  tropical  forest,  flung  their  shadows  out  upon  the 
quiet  bosom  of  the  stream,  and  the  whole  scene,  earth,  sky,  and 
forest,  breathed  forth  the  assurance  of  tranquillity  and  pleasure. 

Cordova  seemed  insensible  to  the  beauties  around,  and  was 
evidently  engaged  with  matters  of  importance,  for  he  did  not 
notice  the  entrance  of  as  lovely  a  being  as  ever  came  forth  to 
breathe  the  soft  air  of  a  southern  morning.  Casting  a  look  at  the 
young  officer,  the  lady  perceived  that  he  was  busy,  and,  silently 
gliding  across  the  veranda,  she  bent  over  the  balustrade  and  gazed 
upon  the  river.  She  was  exceedingly  beautifuj,  with  the  dark 
complexion  of  her  clime,  and  she  wore  that  fixed  and  half  matronly 
expression  that  distinguishes  the  young  wife.  And  such  she  was 
— the  lately  wedded  bride  of  the  gallant  Cordova. 

In  this  case,  if  ever, 

"  Mated  hearts  were  mutual  bound." 

Both  natives  of  .this  fair  valley,  they  had  long  loved  each  other. 
The  handsome  person  and  generous  mind,  but  above  all  the  grow 
ing  fame  of  the  young  soldier,  had  early  won  the  heart  of  the 
beauteous  Madelina,  and  she  too  was  the  heroine  of  her  own 
circle,  and  the  proud  beauty  of  many  a  brilliant  ball-room. 

It  was  thus  when  Cordova  departed  for  Peru  to  assist  in  expel 
ling  the  tyrant  from  his  last  foothold  on  the  soil  of  liberty,  and 
when  he  returned,  crowned  with  glory,  and  his  name  was  echoed 
from  lip  to  lip,  the  richest  reward  of  his  toils  and  triumph,  and 
that  which  he  most  prized,  was  the  hand  of  her  who  had  so  long 
been  the  idol  of  his  heart. 

The  spot  where  the  links  of  love  had  been  riveted  was  the  villa 
in  which  we  have  first  found  the  wedded  lovers — the  residence  of 
Madelina's  father — and  here,  with  his  young  bride,  was  Cordova 
for  the  present  remaining. 


311 

Half  leaning  over  the  balustrade,  through  the  leaves  of  the 
orange-trees,  Madelina  looked  out  upon  the  river.  The  raighty 
Cauca,  bearing  on  its  waters  rich  grains  of  gold,  rolled  silently 
towards  the  sea — flocks  of  water-fowl,  with  bright  plumage,  either 
floated  along  on  its  bosom,  or  were  winging  their  way  to  some 
far  shore — and  round  a  distant  bend  the  barco  chato,  laden  with 
the  fruits  of  the  soil,  and  freighted  for  the  ports  of  the  Magdalena, 
came  sweeping  along  on  the  quivering  current,  while  the  blade 
of  the  boga's  oar  flashed  brightly  against  the  sunbeam. 

But  the  young  wife  heeded  not  these  things,  her  thoughts  were 
otherwise  engaged ;  for  at  intervals  she  would  steal  a  glance  at 
the  countenance  of  Cordova,  and  when  she  perceived  the  cloud 
gathering  upon  his  brow  her  own  looks  grew  sympathetic  and  sad. 

Several  minutes  had  passed  in  this  way,  when  Cordova,  seem 
ingly  actuated  by  some  disagreeable  intelligence  conveyed  in  the 
dispatch,  suddenly  sprung  from  his  seat,  and,  with  a  look  and 
action  that  evinced  a  high  degree  of  anger,  tore  the  paper  in  frag 
ments  and  flung  them  upon  the  piazza ;  then,  striding  to  the  end 
of  the  veranda,  he  looked  steadily  in  the  direction  of  the  town. 

He  fiacl  not  perceived  Madelina,  who  now  glided  up,  placed  her 
hand  gently  upon  his  shoulder,  and,  like  an  angel  of  peace,  softly 
inquired,  * 

"Cordova?"  ^ 

"  Ah,  Madelina !  I  did  not  perceive  you — sweet  girl,  why  do 
you  look  so  serious  ?  it  is  a  smiling  day,  is  it  not  ?" 

She  made  no  reply,  but  pointed  to  the  fragments  of  the  torn 
dispatch,  on  one  of  which  was  legible  the  word  "Bolivar." 

"  True,  Madelina,  it  is  the  signature  of  the  tyrant.'* 

"The  tyrant,  Cordova?" 

"  Aye,  Madelina,  the  tyrant — it  is  time  that  he  was  known  by 
his  proper  title,  and  sorry  am  I  that  he  has  done  so  much  to 
merit  it." 

"But  what  has  he  done,  Cordova?" 

"  Done !  everything  that  a  despot  dares — but  you,  Madelina,  in 
common  with  most  of  your  country  women,  have  been  accustomed 


312 

to  look  upon  the  Liberator  as  a  true  patriot,  a  soldier  of  liberty, 
and  so  does  the  world  at  large — hitherto  he  has  played  the  tyrant 
under  a  mask — his  fame,  like  a  vast  but  luminous  cloud,  over 
shadows  the  land,  and  under  the  halo  of  that  glory  has  he  hidden 
his  true  heart — the  friends  of  liberty  have  long  been  jealous  of 
this  mighty  soldier,  and  they  who  have  dared  to  question  his 
course  have  been  marked  as  fit  victims  for  exile  and  execution." 

"  Is  he  not  our  liberator: — the  achiever  of  our  independence  ?" 

"  A  thousand  others  would  have  guided  the  ship  to  its  destined 
port,  and  not  have  asked  one  hundredth  part  the  reward  which  he 
now  exacts  from  a  too  grateful  people." 

"And  what  does  he  exact,  Cordova?" 

"  Nothing  less  than  absolute  submission  to  his  will — you, 
Madelina,  can  know  little  of  his  actions,  concealed  as  they  always 
are  under  the  most  specious  pretexts — but  listen,  he  has  trampled 
upon  the  old  constitution — his  satellite  minions  have  prevented 
the  Congress  of  Ocana  from  forming  another — he  has  banished 
tried  patriots  on  the  most  frivolous  pretence,  and  by  this  dispatch, 
the  fragments  of  which  are  at  my  feet,  I  read  that  Santander,  the 
brave  and  true  friend  of  liberty,  has  been  condemned  to  death !" 

"  Santander  condemned !  and  on  what  pretence,  Cordova  ?" 

"  He  is  charged  with  being  privy  to  a  conspiracy,  that  had  for 
its  object  the  assassination  of  the*tyrant." 

"  His  assassination  ?" 

u  Aye,  and  well  had  it  been  for  poor  Colombia  that  it  had  suc 
ceeded — but  these  brave  sons  of  freedom  have  bled  for  'this  attempt 
to  rid  their  country  of  her  enslaver — look  here,  Madelina,"  said 
the  young  husband,  picking  up  one  of  the  fragments  of  the  torn 
dispatch,  "  these  are  men  whose  aim  was  high  and  noble,  else 
they  never  would  have  stooped  to  use  the  knife  of  the  bravo — 
these  names  have  never  yet  been  associated  with  worthlessness  or 
guilt." 

Madelina  took  the  paper  and  read  over  the  names  of  fourteen 
young  men  who  had  been  shot  in  the  Plaza  de  Bogota  on  the 
charge  of  conspiracy.  Most  of  them  were  distinguished  in  the 


313 

history  of  their  country's  revolution,  or  belonged  to  families  of 
distinction  in  Colombia.  When  she  had  finished  reading,  she 
turned  towards  her  husband,  who  had  gone  to  the  entrance  of  the 
piazza  and  stood  gazing  intently  upwards. 

u  See,  Madelina !"  cried  he,  beckoning  her  to  the  spot  and 
pointing  towards  the  summit  of  a  neighboring  mountain,  "  there 
is  the  fit  emblem  of  this  native  tyrant." 

The  young  wife  looked  in  the  direction  indicated.  A  huge 
vulture,  the  condor  of  the  Andes',  had  sprung  from  his  eyrie  on  a 
steep  crag  of  porphyry,  and  was  sweeping  down  towards  the  valley. 
On  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  a  flock  of  small  merinoes  were 
quietly  browsing  on  the  side  of  a  green  hillock.  Perceiving  their 
well-known  enemy,  that  was  now  wheeling  above  them  at  a  rapidly 
diminishing  elevation,  the  terrified  little  animals  ran  to  and  fro 
around  the  hillock,  while  a  few  more  wary  than  the  rest  scampered 
off  to  conceal  themselves  in  the  thick  underwood  of  a  neighboring 
forest.  The  younger  ones  of  the  flock,  however,  still  dashed 
madly  and  headlong  from  place  to  place,  uttering  wild  bleatings 
at  each  nearer  swoop  of  the  rapacious  bird,  and  dreading  every 
moment  to  feel  his  talons  in  their  flesh.  The  condor  had  now 
reached  within  less  than  a  hundred  feet  of  the  earth,  his  huge 
body  and  raven-black  wings  covering  the  whole  hillock  with  their 
shadow.  Several  of  the  little  creatures,  exhausted  with  running 
and  weakened  by  the  intensity  of  their  terror,  had  fallen  fainting 
upon  the  grass,  and  the  vulture  was  just  stretching  forth  his  bare 
and  horrid  neck  to  seize  upon  a  victim,  when  the  report  of  a 
musket,  followed  by  a  cloud  of  blue  smoke,  rose  from  a  small 
clump  of  tagua-trees  on  the  right,  and  a  man,  in  the  dress  of  a 
peasant  cazador,  suddenly  stepped  out  from  the  leaves.  But  the 
monster  bird  did  not  fall,  as  the  hunter  had  evidently  expected. 
He  had  been  struck  by  the  shot,  however,  for  at  the  report  he 
had  dropped  at  least  ten  feet  from  his  elevation,  and  then,  with  an 
effort  which  danger  had  produced,  stretching  forth  his  broad  wings 
in  tremulous  and  feeble  flight,  he  betook  himself  to  the  nearest 
crag,  there  to  perish  from  the  wound  which  he  had  received. 

27 


314: 

Cordova  and  Madelina  had  watched  the  wjiole  scene  with 
intense  interest.  When  the  vulture  disappeared  from  their  view, 
the  young  officer  turned  and  for  a  moment  gazed  tenderly  on  the 
face  of  his  beautiful  wife,  then,  as  if  nerved  by  some  deep  resolu 
tion,  ho  clutched  his  sword,  and,  striding  into  the  piazza,  muttered 
firmly  to  himself, 

"  It  must  be  done !" 

But  the  ear  of  an  anxious  wife  was  not  distant,  and  he  was 
overheard.  Quick  as  thought  the  face  of  Madelina,  beautifully 
imploring,  was  at  his  shoulder. 

"  What  must  be  done,  Cordova !" 

"  The  tyrant,  Madelina — the  tyrant  must  be  struck !" 

"  Dearest  Cordova,  your  looks  almost  terrify  me !" 

"  Fear  not,  sweet  girl,  but  listen — it  is  time  you  should  know 
what  by  to-morrow's  sunrise  will  be  no  secret  in  Antioquia — your 
brother,  myself,  and  our  friends  throughout .  the  province,  have 
sworn  to  restore  the  old  constitution  or  die  in  its  defence;  to 
night  is  fixed  for  the  rising,  and,  should  we  succeed,  the  friends  of 
liberty  over  all  Colombia  will  flock  to  our  standard,  and  the 
tyrant's  power  will  be  speedily  prostrated  ;  but  should  our  enter 
prise  fail,  the  omen  of  this  foul  bird  tells  me  that  still  the  despot 
shall  be  bereft  of  the  power  to  enact  further  .ill.  To-night, 
Madelina,  at  the  hour  of — Ha  !  what  means  this  ?  Soldiers  and 
not  of  my  battalion  !  and  that  villain,  Lara,  at  their  head.  Good 
heavens !  can  we  be  betrayed  ?  Go  in,  Madelina,  go  in !" 

The  young  wife,  with  a  look  of  deepest  anxiety,  disappeared 
within  the  door. 

The  clear  notes  of  a  cavalry  bugle  sounded  through  the  trees, 
and  a  troop  of  dragoons,  headed  by  an  officer,  in  the  uniform  of 
an  aid-de-camp  of  Bolivar,  galloped  up  to  the  gate.  The  officer 
dismounted,  and,  walking  into  the  veranda,  presented  General 
Cordova  with  a  sealed  packet,  which  the  latter  opened  and  read. 

When  he  had  finished  reading,  he  drew  his  sword,  and,  turning 
the  hilt  forward,  presented  it  to  the  aid-de-camp,  acknowledging 
himself  under  arrest,  at  the  same  time  requesting  a  moment  to 


315 

take  leave  of  his  wife.  The  officer  took  the  sword,  muttering 
some  hypocritical  phrase  about  "  disagreeable  duty,"  for  he  was 
one  of  Cordova's  bitterest  enemies,  while  the  latter  withdrew  to 
take  leave  of  his  beautiful  ^wife. 

We  will  not  lift  the  curtain  from  the  scene  of  their  parting — 
we  shall  not  describe  the  anguish  that  accompanied  that  woe- 
breathing  word,  farewell.  Suffice  it  that  Cordova  in  a  few 
minutes  returned,  and,  mounting  a  horse  provided  for  him,  rode 
off  along  with  the  dragoons  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Fe. 

After  they  were  gone,  a  lovely  female  leaned  from  the  veranda, 
and,  with  tearful  eyes,  watched  the  windings  of  the  road  leading 
to  the  town.  The  loud  beating  of  her  heart  prevented  her  from 
hearing  the  tramp  of  the  retreating  cavalry.  When  they  had  passed 
the  last  visible  point  on  the  road,  the  weeping  wife  knelt  down  upon 
the  piazza,  and,  holding  a  crucifix  to  her  lips,  wafted  to  Heaven 
a  prayer  for  her  husband's  safety.  God  was  her  only  comforter! 

********** 

It  was  still  early  in  the  day  when  the  troops  that  attended 
Cordova  entered  the  suburbs  of  Santa  Fe  de  Antioquia.  They 
were  here  joined  by  a  regiment  of  soldiers  just  arrived  from 
Bogota.  As  they  neared  the  piazza,  loud  shouts  and  acclamations 
were  heard,  as  though  coming  from  a  vast  crowd  of  people,  and 
at  intervals,  above  the  din,  cries  of"  Viva  el  Libertador  /"  "  Viva 
Bolivar  /"  The  inhabitants  of  Santa  Fe*  had  just  received  the 
news  of  the  attempted  assassination  of  the  supreme  chief,  and, 
knowing  nothing  of  the  merits  of  the  case  and  caring  little,  were 
publicly  rejoicing  for  his  deliverance.  The  plaza  was  filled  with 
people,  with  here  and  -there  groups  of  soldiers,  who,  released  from 
duty,  were  enjoying  themselves  among  the  citizens. 

When  the  troops  from  Bogota  entered  the  square,  among  the 
foremost  of  which  rode  General  Cordova,  the  cries  and  acclama 
tions  were  redoubled,  and  ''Viva  el  Libertador!"  "Viva  el  Cordova !" 
filled  the  air,  mingled  with  loud  and  enthusiastic  cheers.  All  at 
once  several  officers  were  seen  hurrying  away  to  the  main  barrack, 
and,  after  a  short  interval,  a  trumpet  in  the  same  direction  called 


316 

the  straggling  troops  to  their  quarters.  In  five  minutes  the 
provincial  soldiers  had  disappeared,  and  the  square  now  held  the 
regiment  of  Bogota,  surrounded  by  a  dense  multitude  of  people. 
The  regiment  halted,  and  for  several  minutes  there  was  a  deep 
and  ominous  silence,  broken  only  by  the  low  murmur  of  inquiry, 
when  all  at  once  a  strong  voice  called  out  from  the  crowd, 
"  Cordova  is  a  prisoner — rescue — to  the  rescue !" 
A  wild  burst  of  indignation  broke  forth,  as  though  a  new  mind 
had  entered  into  that  moving  throng — the  cries  of  "rescue — 
rescue !"  arose  on  every  side,  and  a  rush  was  made  to  the  houses 
for  weapons.  Already  missiles  had  been  thrown  at  the  regiment 
of  Bogota,  when  a  trumpet  sounded  from  the  Calle  del  Rio,  and  a 
party  of  Cordova's  own  cavalry  galloped  into  the  square ;  they 
were  soon  followed  by  a  large  body  of  infantry,  who  had  suddenly 
organized  at  the  barracks,  calling  out  "  Viva  el  Cordova !" 
"  Muerte  al  tirano  Bolivar!"  Cordova,  taking  advantage  of  these 
movements  in  his  favor,  suddenly  wrested  his  sword  from  one  of 
the  dragoons  who  guarded  him,  and,  putting  spurs  to  his  horse, 
galloped  to  the  head  of  his  troops.  The  action  was  followed 
instantaneously  by  an  attack  upon  the  regiment  of  Bogota,  who 
were  soon  routed,  many  being  killed,  while  the  remainder  were 
taken  prisoners.  Cordova  then  addressed  his  troops  and  the 
assembled  citizens,  exposing  the  conduct  of  Bolivar,  and  ended  by 
declaring  for  the  constitution,  which  the  dictator  had  abolished. 
He  was  answered  by  deafening  shouts  and  cries  of  "  Viva  la  con- 
stitucicn !" — "Muerte  al  tirano!"  and  the  effigy  of  Bolivar  was 
publicly  burned  on  that  same  pavement,  that  but  an  hour  before 
had  resounded  with  the  tread  of  thousands  triumphing  on  account 
of  his  safety. 

*****#**## 

On  the  evening  of  that  same  day,  Cordova  sat  with  his  young 
wife  in  the  veranda  of  her  father's  mansion.  He  had  come  to  bid 
her  farewell  ere  he  should  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his,  now 
revolutionary,  army.  The  troops  of  the  dictator  would  soon  be  in 
the  field  to  oppose  him,  and  it  was  necessary  that  no  time  should 


317 

be  wasted.  It  was  his  last  interview  with  Madelina.  They  knew 
not  this,  though  botk  felt  a  strange  foreboding  for  the  future.  But 
he  was  a  soldier,  and  she  a  soldier's  wife,  and  the  parting  words 
that  mingled  with  her  tears  were, 

u  Go  forth,  and  may  the  God  of  battles  watch  over  you !" 

One  last  kiss — one  last  wild  look,  and  the  young  soldier,  spring 
ing  into  his  saddle,  was  soon  lost  in  the  fading  twilight.  It  was 
his  last  look  indeed.  He  never  saw  that  lovejy  form  again  !  .  .  . 

Three  weeks  after,  and  on  a  plateau  of  the  Andes,  two  armies 
were  marshalled  in  battle  array.  The  soldiers  of  both  wore  the 
uniform  of  the  republic  of  Colombia,  but  far  different  were  the 
causes  for  which  they  were  about  to  contend.  Along  the  lines  of 
one  army  passed  the  shouts  of  "  Viva  la  constitution !" — "  Viva  la 
libertad  !"  while  on  the  other  side  rose  the  solitary  war-cry  of 
"  El  Libertador !" 

On  -one  side  were  the  soldiers  of  liberty  fighting  for  the 
charter  which  guaranteed  that  liberty,  and  which  had  been  so 
basely  wrested  from  them ;  on  the  other  side,  but  unfortunately 
far  the  stronger,  were  the  hired  minions  of  a  tyrant  fighting  for 
his  glory  alone. 

The  leader  of  the  republican  army,  as  the  reader  will  have 
guessed,  was  the  gallant  Cordova.  Opposed  to  him  was  a  brave 
man  fighting  in  a  bad  cause. 

We  will  not  describe  an  engagement  that,  for  its  numbers,  was 
one  of  the  most  desperate  ever  fought,  but  pass  at  once  to  the 
closing  scene. 

The  republican  army,  inferior  both  in  numbers  and  discipline, 
was  totally  defeated.  Cordova,  with  a  few  brave  patriots,  took 
refuge  within  the  walls  of  a  ruined  house  where  they  were  sur 
rounded  by  the  troops  of  Bolivar,  and  summoned  to  surrender  at 
discretion. 

'•Never!"  was  the  determined  reply  that  came  from  the  ruin, 
uttered  by  Cordova  himself,  and  echoed  by  his  brave  comrades ; 
and  quickly  followed  the  discharge  of  about  fifty  muskets,  dealing 
dreadful  havoc  among  the  close  column  of  soldiers. 


318 

For  three  hours  an  incessant  firing  was  kept  up  against  the 
devoted  house,  until  the  few  fragments  of  wall  hardly  sheltered 
the  desperate  men  who  still  continued  to  hold  out  against  superior 
numbers. 

Again  and  again  was  the  Spartan  band  summoned  to  surrender, 
but  they  well  knew  it  would  be  death  at  the  best,  and  they  had 
resolved  to  avenge  that  death,  and  perish  with  arms  in  their 
hands. 

"  Never !"  was  the  resolute  reply,  accompanied  by  shots,  and 
cries  of  tl  Viva  la  libertad !" 

At  last  the  shouts  and  the  firing  ceased,  and  a  company  of 
grenadiers  were  ordered  to  take  possession  of  the  ruin. 

At  the  head  of  the  company  was  the  villain  Lara — a  tool  of 
the  tyrant  Bolivar.  Entering  over  the  rubbish,  he  perceived 
Cordova  lying  upon  a  heap  of  dead  bodies,  covered  with  wounds 
arid  blood,  but  still  living.  As  he  approached,  with  his  ^svvord 
drawn,  Cordova  raised  himself  on  his  knees,  and,  feebly  ejaculat 
ing  "  La  Libertad !"  received  the  sword  of  the  subordinate  through 
his  heart.  Thus  perished  General  Cordova,  one  of  the  bravest 
patriots  that  ever  unsheathed  his  sword  in  the  cause  of  liberty, 
and  long  afterwards  did  his  country  weep  for  his  untimely  end, 
while  she  decreed  high  honors  to  his  memory.  But  there  was 
one  whose  weeping  was  wilder  than  all — she  the  loved  and 
widowed.  The  pure,  proud  spirit  of  Madelina  was  broken  by  her 
bereavement,  and  the  grave  alone  brought  solace  to  her  sorrow. 


THE  HUSBAND'S  RUSE. 

A  TALE  OF  SPANISH  JEALOUSY. 

IN  the  city  of  Havana,  some  years  ago,  lived  a  wealthy  Spanish 
merchant  named  Fuero — Don  Diego  Fuero.  He  may  be  still  liv 
ing  there,  for  aught  I  know  to  the  contrary ;  and  this  seems  very 
probable,  as  it  is  not  over  ten  years  since  the  episode  in  his  life, 
which  I  am  about  to  relate,  occurred.  Don  Diego  was,  at  that 
time,  about  forty  years  of  age,  of  a  strong  frame  and  vigorous  con 
stitution.  His  complexion  was  swarthy — his  hair  black  and  bushy, 
and  his  face,  half  concealed  behind  a  pair  of  huge  dark  whiskers, 
wore  an  expression  of  fierce  determination,  bordering  upon  fero 
city. 

He  was  a  man  who  rarely  smiled,  and  with  whom  neither  friend 
nor  stranger  ever  thought  of  taking  an  undue  liberty.  Nevertheless 
he  was  reputed  strictly  honest  in  his  dealings,  and  the  immense 
fortune  which  he  possessed  had  been  acquired  by  long  and  patient 
industry. 

Now  Don  Diego  was  not  happy — and  why  ?  His  fortune  was 
princely — his  health  good — and  his  wife  beautiful.  Ah — alas !  it 
is  not  always  happiness  to  have  a  beautiful  wife !  Some  prefer 
rather  a  plain  one,  with  good  sense ;  and  although  we  laugh  at 
them,  I,  for  my  part,  am  beginning  to  think  that  these  are  the 
wise  ones,  and  we  the  fools.  Be  that  as  it  may,  however,  Don 
Diego's  wife,  as  I  have  said,  was  beautiful.  Many  thought  her 
the  most  beautiful  woman  in  Havana.  This  is  saying  much.  I 
would  not  myself  like  to  go  so  far.  I  have  seen  some  very  lovely 
women  in  Havana.  No  matter  for  that.  It  is  enough  to  know 
that  the  Senora  Fuero  was  very  beautiful.  She  was  very  young, 

319 


320 

too — not  quite  twenty — in  fact,  not  half  the  age  of  her  husband 
Don  Diego — but  among  the  Spanish  aristocracy  age  is  not  con 
sidered  in  the  disposing  of  hands — it  has,  however,  something  to 
do  in  the  bestowing  of  hearts,  and  unfortunately,  the  heart  of  the 
Seiiora  Josefa  had  never  been  the  property  of  her  husband.  Not 
mat  it  was  another's.  Not  by  any  means,  for  she  had  never  loved. 
Brought  up,  a  young  Creole,  upon  her  father's  plantation,  and 
seeing  no  one  but  her  parents,  a  maiden  aunt,  and  some  scores  of 
negro  slaves,  she  had  no  opportunity  of  indulging  in  the  delicious 
dream. 

Young,  guileless,  and  in  fact  unconscious  that  such  a  passion 
existed,  she  was  bought  from  her  father  by  the  gold  of  Don  Diego, 
and  by  the  latter  transplanted  from  her  rustic  home  to  the  gay 
city. 

.  Now  here  a  question  arises,  on  the  respective  advantages  of 
choosing  a  wife  in  the  riiy,  or  bringing  one  in  from  the  country. 
I  have  known  this  to  be  productive  of  furious  debate.  Both  have 
their  advantages  and  disadvantages — though,  in  either  case,  I 
think  the  disadvantages  preponderate.  Some  prefer  city-bred 
ladies  for  their  superior  refinement  in  dress  and  manners.  Others 
like  a  hale,  honest  country  girl,  with  rosy  cheeks  and  an  arm  like 
a  pugilist.  Well,  after  all,  it  is  a  matter  of  choice.  For  my  part, 
I  intend  to  marry  a  city  lady.  I  have  my  reasons,  of  course.  I 
mean  to  reside  in  the  city.  If  I  intended  going  upon  a  farm,  I 
might  prefer  a  country  girl  for  my  wife ;  but  I  do  not  mean  to  go 
upon  a  farm — so  I  shall  not  be  so  indiscreet  as  to  choose  a  country 
wife  and  bring  her  to  town.  They  become  very  much  changed 
by  being  so  transplanted.  Quite  another  thing.  The  intoxication 
of  town  life — balls,  parties,  and  the  theatre — quite  deranges  them ; 
they  become  foolish,  and  make  others  look  very  foolish,  just  about 
the  time  when  city  girls  have  grown  matronly  and  wise.  These 
are  mere  opinions,  and  will  hurt  no  one.  So  let  us  return  to  Don 
Diego,  and  his  new  v  ife. 

After  his  marriage,  our  rich  merchant  furnished  a  splendid 
house  in  one  of  the  most  fashionable  streets  in  the  "  barrio,"  where 


321 

tie  took  up  hu  residence.  A  magnificent  carriage,  with  blooded 
horses,  soon  drew  the  attention  of  all  Havana  to  the  beautiful 
Creole.  She  was  at  once  pronounced  a  belle,  and  beset  by  a 
crowd  of  flattering  admirers.  To  say  the  least,  the  fair  Josefa  did 
not. seem  to  dislike  the  relish  of  such  adulation.  She  who  had 
never  known  other  than  the  clumsy  compliments  of  her  sable 
handmaidens,  was  now  greeted  by  the  refined  flattery  of  the  fash 
ionable  circles  of  the  most  fashionable  city  in  the  new  world.  No 
wonder  she  should  become  a  little  vain.  Ah !  vanity,  there  is 
much  danger  in  thee — many  a  frail  creature  hast  thou  seduced  to 
sin  and  shame ! 

The  exceeding  popularity  of  his  wife  enchanted  Don  Diego,  and 
his  moody  brow  for  a  season  seemed  to  clear  up  and  assume  an 
expression  of  partial  gaiety. 

He  was  fond  of  showing  his  beautiful  wife — as  all  men  who  have 
beautiful  wives  are — at  balls,  at  the  theatre,  and  on  the  Pasao. 
Moreover,  he  loved  her  dearly,  and  wished  to  gratify  her  every 
whim — and,  to  do  her  justice,  she  began  to  entertain  not  a  few  of 
these.  Don  Diego,  however,  humored  them  all — it  must  be 
acknowledged  at  a  good  round  cost — but  for  this  he  cared  not  so 
long  as  it  gave  pleasure  to  his  "  dear  Josefa," 

So  ran  the  time — through  scenes  of  gaiety  and  pleasure. 
Clouds,  however,  at  length  appeared  on  the  horizon  of  Don  Diego's 
happiness.  He  began  to  grow  jealous.  Not  that  he  was  natu 
rally  o^a  jealous  disposition — that  is,  for  a  Spaniard — but  he  had 
more  than  once  detected  a  handsome  cavalier  gazing  in  a  very 
expressive  manner  at  his  wife — and — he  might  be  mistaken — but 
he  imagined  that  Josefa  did  not  seem  at  all  to  dislike  it.  Where- 
ever  he  went — to  a  ball  or  theatre — the  cavalier  was  there.  If  he 
drove  his  wife  upon  the  Pasao,  the  cavalier  dashed  past  him  on  a 
coal  black  steed,  looking  at  the  beautiful  Josefa  as  if  his  soul  were 
in  his  eyes.  Furies  !  this  could  not  last.  It  must  end  in  some 
thing  worse — and  it  did  not  last,  for  Don  Diego,  growing  more 
and  more  jealous,  came  to  the  determination  of  keeping  his  wife 
within  doors— which  he  did.  She  was  seen  no  more  at  the 


322 

theatre — and  seldom,  if  ever,  on  the  Pasao.  This  caused  a  great 
deal  of  talk,  and  not  a  little  scandal.  In  the  vortex  of  fashionable 
life  in  a  great  city  like  Havana,  one  theme  of  scandal  soon  gives 
place  to  and  is  submerged  in  the  whirl  of  many  others,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  rich  merchant's  wife  and  her  involuntary  seclusion 
from  society  ceased  to  be  spoken  of.  We  must  assume  a  more 
seriofts  style  :  the  drama  we  are  about  to  relate  requires  it. 


Behind  Don  Diego's  mansion  was  a  beautiful  garden — backed 
by  a  low  wall,  over  which  drooped  the  branches  of  a  variety  of 
tropical  trees.  In  one  corner  of  this  garden  grew  a  clump  of 
orange  and  lemon-trees,  which  had  been  woven  into  an  arbor  by 
means  of  the  twining  tendrils  of  the  West  Indian  jasmin.  This 
arbor  was  so  completely  overshadowed  as  to  be  impervious  to  the 
rays  of  the  noonday  sun,  while  at  night  time  the  only  light  that 
shone  in  its  fragrant  interior  was  the  flash  of  the  cocuyo.  In 
front  of  the  house,  on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  was  a  splendid 
mansion,  which,  like  that  of  Don  Diego,  was  furnished  with  bal 
conies  and  Venetian  blinds.  Don  Diego  had  never  inquired  who 
occupied  this  house.  Accident,  however,  at  last  made  him 
acquainted  with  who  was  the  tenant  of  the  mansion.  One  even 
ing  he  had  returned  home  earlier  than  usual  from  his  warehouse, 
and,  the  evening  being  pleasant,  had  gone  up  to  the  azotea,  or 
roof,  to  enjoy  the  sunset.  His  wife  had  not  seen  him  come  in,  as 
he  entered  by  the  garden  door,  a  private  entrance  of  which  he 
always  carried  the  key. 

A  row  of  large  japonica-trees  grew  in  boxes  along  the  front  of 
the  azotea,  and  screened  observation  from  the  street.  As  Fuero 
sat  behind  one  of  these,  his  eyes  accidentally  roamed  through  the 
dark  green  foliage  and  fell  upon  the  balcony  blinds  of  the  opposite 
house.  Judge  of  his  surprise  when  he  saw,  through  the  half 
opened  jalousie,  the  face  of  the  very  cavalier  who  had  already 
caused  him  so  much  uneasiness.  He  was  not  perceived  by  the 


323 

latter,  who  seemed  to  be  intently  gazing  on  the  lower  windows 
of  Don  Diego's  house,  and  at  intervals  smiling,  as  though  some 
one  acknowledged  his  courtesy.  The  thin  lip  of  the  Spaniard 
quivered  with  rising  emotion — the  sharp,  stinging  pain  of  jealousy 
shooting  through-  his  heart  almost  caused  him  to  cry  out — but  he 
conquered  his  feelings,  determined  to  await  the  result.  The 
cavalier  disappeared  for  a  moment  from  the  window,  but  presently 
returned,  and  holding  a  folded  billet-doux  through  the  bars  of  the 
Venetian,  seemed  to  ask  the  question — "May  I  send  it?"  As 
though  he  had  received  an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  the  folded 
paper  was  drawn  back,  and  the  cavalier,  with  a  gratified  smile  and 
a  polite  bow,  withdrew  from  the  window.  Presently  a  mulatto 
servant  issued  from  the  house,  and  taking  a  circuitous  route, 
crossed  over  to  the  mansion  of  the  merchant,  and  rung  the  bell. 

Don  Diego  received  the  note  from  his  own  servant.  It  was 
somewhat  laconic  for  a  love  epistle,  and  ran  simply  as  follows : 

**  LOVELIEST  OF  WOMEN  : — Grant  me  but  one  interview,  and  I 
shall  feel  that  I  have  not  lived  in  vain. 

"  ALPHONSO." 

u  Thank  Heaven  !"  muttered  the  Spaniard,  "  it  is  not  yet  too 
la.te  I"  and  he  thrust  the  note  into  his  bosom. 

A  moment  afterwards  Don  Diego  entered  the  drawing-room  in 
which  his  wife  was  seated.  She  was  not  near  the  window,  but 
her  paleness  and  agitation  plainly  told  that  she  knew  all  that  had 
happened. 

With  a  gloomy  but  determined  look,  Don  Diego  approached 
his  trembling  wife. 

"  Here !"  said  he,  producing  the  billet,  and  speaking  in  a  tone 
of  bitter  irony — "  this  is  for  you,  my  dear  Josefa — it  requires  an 
answer." 

"  An  answer  ?"  echoed  she,  feigning  astonishment  and  indigna 
tion — "what  villain  has  dared  this?  Don  Diego,  he  must  be 
punished  !" 


324 

"He  shall  be  punished — here,  write  the  answer  thus" — 
The  pen  trembled  in  her  small  white  jewelled  hand  as  she 
wrote,  after  Don  Diego's  dictation  : 

"  Twelve  o'clock  to-night — an  arbor  in  the  garden — the  wall 
may  be  scaled  without  difficulty. 

"TUYA." 

She  felt  as  though  she  had  written  the  death-warrant  of  him, 
yet  innocent  in  deed,  and  perhaps  led  on  to  guilty  thought  by  her 
own  imprudence  and  vanity.  How  was  she  to  save  him  ? 

"  Fold  and  direct !"  abruptly  commanded  Don  Diego. 

"  Direct— to  whom  ?" 

"  To  whom  ? — to  Alphonso." 

And  as  Don  Diego  delivered  the  stern  sarcasm  he  walked  up  to 
the  window.  His  back  was  turned  upon  his  wife  ! 

With  an  instinctive  presence  of  mind,  felt  only  by  women  when 
placed  in  desperate  extremes,  that  little  hand  seized  the  pen,  and 
at  the  bottom  of  the  page  wrote : 

"  Do  not  come — Don  " 

She  intended  to  have  written,  "  Don  Diego  knows  all !"  but 
the  Spaniard  returning  to  the  table  prevented  her.  He  did  not 
perceive  the  addition.  With  a  look  of  keen  despair  the  young 
wife  folded  the  note  mechanically,  and  directed  it  as  she  had  been 
desired.  Don  Diego  took  the  billet  from  her  hand,  and  motion 
ing  her  to  a  cabinet,  which  she  entered,  he  closed  the  door,  and 
locking  it,  put  the  key  into  his  pocket.  He  then  rung  the  bell, 
and  after  giving  some  directions  to  a  confidential  servant,  walked 
from  the  room. 

The  note  reached  its  destination,  but  the  half  uttered  warning, 
"Do  not  come — Don — "  was  not  understood  by  the  enraptured 
but  unfortunate  lover.  He  thought  it  had  been  addressed  to  him 
self  and  interpreted  it  as  the  last  struggle  of  expiring  virlue. 


325 

The  bell  of  the  great  cathedral  was  just  tolling  the  hour  of 
eleven,  when  Don  Diego  Fuero  silently  glided  from  the  back 
piazza  of  his  house,  and  entered  the  arbor  we  have  already  spoken 
of.  A  crescent  moon  had  just  gone  down  behind  the  hill  of 
Mexico.  The  night  seemed  to  portend  storm.  The  darkness  was 
extreme,  and  objects  were  only  visible  by  the  light  which  ema 
nated  from  the  burning  cocuyo.  As  the  glowing  insects  flitted 
before  the  face  of  the  Spaniard,  they  reflected  features  of  no  com 
mon  expression.  A  deep  and  desperate  resolve  was  depicted  in 
that  face,  and  every  muscle  of  those  swarthy  lineaments  was 
strained  to  its  extremest  tension. 

With  his  hands,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  palmetto,  he  cleared  the 
arbor  of  the  fire-flies,  and  now  stood  in  darkness,  silently  awaiting 
the  approach  of  his  victim.  One — two — three — twelve  o'clock 
from  the  cathedral  1  A  rustling  is  heard  among  the  orange-trees 
— the  breaking  of  a  bough — a  form  is  upon  the  top  of  the  wall — 
then  follows  a  heavy  sound,  as  of  some  one  leaping  to  the  earth, 
and  all  again  is  still.  Only  for  a  moment.  A  man,  guided  by 
the  light  of  the  cocuyo,  is  seen  making  for  the  arbor.  He  reaches 
it — he  enters.  Hist!  hist!  The  gleam  of  a  dagger  is  seen,  fol 
lowed  by  the  noise  of  a  death  struggle — muttered  curses  are  heard, 
and  the  dull,  heavy  sound  of  stabbing — then  issues  a  groan — 
another  and  another — and  all  is  silent  as  before. 

See ! — a  man  comes  out  of  the  arbor — the  light  of  the  fire-fly 
glares  upon  him — horror !  he  is  dragging  a  corpse  !  He  lifts  it 
upon^the  wall — a  fearful  imprecation — the  sound  of  a  heavy  body 
falling  upon  the  street — and  all  is  silent  again ! 


THE    WOUNDED    GUERRILLA. 

A  SKETCH  OF  THE  MEXICAN  WAR. 

THE  city  of  Puebla  lies  in  the  centre  of  an  immense  plateau, 
seven  thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  and  bordered  by  mountains 
of  more  than  twice  this  altitude.  Malinchi,  rendered  classic  in 
the  history  of  the  first  conquest,  rises  on  the  north ;  the  Final 
bars  up  the  eastern  passes,  while  the  great  Cordillera  of  the  Rio 
Frio  forms  its  western  boundary,  thus  separating  the  two  great 
valleys  of  Puebla  and  Mexico  by  an  almost  impassable  barrier.  In 
this  ridge  lie  the  great  snow  mountains  of  Popocatepec  and  the 
"  White  Woman,"  (la  muger  blanca),  known  poetically  as  the 
"  Twin  Sisters." 

These  mountains  soar  far  above  the  regions  of  eternal  snow. 
Popocatepec  is  a  cone,  and  the  grey  fringe  that  marks  the  blend 
ing  of  the  white  glacier  and  the  dark  pines  of  the  mountain  for 
est,  forms  the  circumference  of  a  horizontal  circle.  On  the 
White  Woman  this  snow  line  is  more  irregular.  On  both  moun 
tains  its  altitude  is  variable,  according  to  the  season  and  the  heat  of 
the  sun.  Thus  the  melting  of  the  snows  in  the  sultry  months  of 
summer  throws  the  grey  fringe  higher  upon  the  sides  of  Popocate 
pec  and  Ixticihuath,  and  irrigates  the  broad  plains  of  Puebla  and 
Tlascalla. 

But  for  these  snow-crowned  mountains  the  plateau  of  Puebla 
would  be  a  barren  desert.  As  it  is,  the  western  segment  of  this 
plain  may  be  termed  the  garden  spot  of  Mexico; 

As  the  traveller  emerges  from  the  western  gate  of  Puebla,  he 
beholds  one  of  the  loveliest  pictures  in  the  world.  The  delighted 
eye  roams  over  broad  fields  of  corn  and  wheat,  and  "  frijolea," 

m 


327 

bordered  by  fence  rows  of  the  picturesque  maguey — here  and 
there  the  cupolas  of  rich  haciendas — the  turrets  of  a  flourishing 
village,  and  the  spires  of  a  rural  church  variegate  the  green  land- 
scape,  while  in  the  distance  rises  the  dark  Cordilleras  of  the  Mex 
ican  Andes,  over  whose  gloomy  forests  and  frowning  chasms  the 
snowy  crests  of  the  "  Twin  Sisters  "  glisten  with  a  dazzling  white 
ness. 

This  is,  perhaps,  the  fairest  picture  in  Mexico.  Its  beauty,  how 
ever,  did  not  protect  it  from  the  desolating  influence  of  war,  and 
during  the  occupation  of  Puebla  by  the  American  army,  bands  of 
robbers,  under  the  name  of  "  guerrilleros,"  alike  hostile  to  Mexi 
can  and  American,  roamed  over  the  fairest  portions  of  this  district, 
committing  every  species  of  outrage  upon  its  peaceful  inhabi 
tants. 

The  American  army  entered  Puebla  in  the  month  of  May, 
1847.  The  inhabitants,  one  hundred  thousand  in  number,  were 
struck  with  astonishment  at  the  boldness  of  the  act.  They  had 
been  expecting  an  army  of  at  least  ten  thousand  men.  Instead 
of  this,  ninety  dragoons  rode  into  the  plaza  alone,  where  they 
halted  to  await  the  advance  of  the  army,  in  all  not  numbering 
four  thousand  men.  Hundreds  of  Mexicans  counted  our  soldiers 
as  they  crossed  the  bridge  of  "  Noche  buena,"  and  the  feeling  that 
existed  in  the  breasts  of  the  Poblanos,  after  our  entry  into  their 
city,  was  one  of  shame,  that  they  had  permitted  such  a  handful 
of  men  to  take  the  old  and  warlike  town  of  Puebla  without  a 
blow  having  been  struck  in  its  defence. 

They  might  apparently  have  stoned  us  to  death. 

Santa  Anna,  repulsed  at  Amozoc,  had  retreated  upon  San  Mar 
tin,  and  now  held  that  fair  district  with  his  rabble  soldiery. 

On  finding  that  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  the  American  com 
mander  to  advance  beyond  Puebla  for  a  time,  the  bright  idea 
struck  Santa  Anna  of  rousing  the  national  pride  once  more  in 
defence  of  their  capital.  He  consequently  crossed  the  mountains  at 
Rio  Frio,  and  commenced  fortifying  the  ancient  city  of  the  Aztecs, 
leaving,  however,  a  large  guerrilla  force,  who  roamed  at  will  over 


328 

the  western  plain  of  Puebla  and  occupied  San  Martin,  Tlaxcalla, 
and  Atlixco.  These  at  first  commenced  hostilities  by  stopping 
the  supplies  of  the  Puebla  market,  which  depends  altogether  upon 
the  fertile  districts  of  the  west.  Finding,  however,  that  the  Ame 
rican  gold  received  in  exchange  for  the  fruits  and  vegetables  of 
San  Martin,  served  their  purposes  better  than  revenge,  the  guerrillas 
at  length  permitted  the  produce  to  pass,  levying  a  heavy  contri 
bution  upon  each  article. 

The  hated  "  alcabala,"  was  abolished  at  the  city  gates,  and  the 
Indians  and  rancheros  of  Chohula,  San  Pablo,  and  San  Martin, 
flocked  to  the  grand  Plaza  of  Puebla. 

It  was  a  rare  sight  in  the  bright  mornings  of  June,  this  Plaza 
of  Puebla.  Hundreds  of  Indian  girls,  seated  in  groups  under 
their  awnings  of  "  petates,"  gaily  chatting  with  one  another,  or 
laughing  with  a  clear  ringing  laugh  at  the  bad  Spanish  of  the 
American  soldier.  "Who  says  that  the  Indians  of  Mexico  are  a 
dejected  race?  No  such  thing.  We  have  seen  more  bright, 
happy  faces  in  the  markets  of  Puebla  than  anywhere  else.  The 
slightest  witticism — a  mispronunciation  of  the  names  of  any  of 
their  wares  by  a  foreign  tongue,  will  elicit  peals  of  laughter  from 
these  merry  market-girls,  while  the  almost  constant  display  of 
their  small  pearly  teeth  and  sparkling  eyes  evinces  the  lightness 
of  their  hearts. 

The  remnants  of  several  nations  exist  in  the  plains  of  Puebla. 
These  may  be  easily  distinguished  in  the  streets  of  the  city  by  a 
singular  custom.  A  few  strands  of  worsted  thread,  blue,  crimson, 
or  purple,  are  twisted  into  the  plaits  of  their  luxuriant  black  hair. 
The  difference  of  color  in  this  worsted  marks  the  tribe  or  village 
to  which  the  wearer  belongs,  so  that  at  a  glance  you  may  tell  an 
Indian  girl  from  Tlaxcalla  or  San  Pablo  from  one  of  the  Chol- 
nltecas. 

The  Indians  of  the  last-mentioned  tribe  are  perhaps  the  most 
interesting  to  be  met  with  in  Mexico.  Living  at  the  foot  of  the 
great  pyramid,  on  "  haunted  holy  ground,"  they  are  constantly 
reminded  of  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  many  of  whose  peculiar 


329 

customs  and  habits  they  still  preserve  in  all  their  pristine  simpli 
city.  The  young  girls  of  this  tribe  are  strikingly  handsome,  and 
but  for  their  malformation — the  effect  of  early  toil  and  careless 
rearing — the  Cholultecas,  with  their  dark  Indian  eyes  and  pearly 
teeth,  would  far  eclipse  with  their  beauty  the  daughter  of  the 
famed  Castilian  conquerors. 

Of  all  the  Indian  maidens  who  visited  the  Plaza  of  Puebla, 
none  attracted  more  admiration  from  the  officer  or  soldier  who 
thronged  through  this  market  than  two  sisters  from  Cholula. 
These  girls  were  named  Remedies  and  Dolores,  after  the  appella 
tions  of  two  of  the  most  popular  saints  in  Mexico. 

The  elder,  Remedies,  was  strikingly  beautiful,  and  though 
admired  by  all,  her  dark  Indian  eye  had  made  a  deeper  impres 
sion  upon  the  heart  of  a  young  ranger. 

The  occupation  of  these  girls  was  that  of  weaving  baskets 
from  the  fine  fibres  of  the  palma  redonda,  which  wares,  along 
with  the  flowers  that  grew  in  their  little  garden  at  Cholula,  they 
brought  once  or  twice  a  week  to  the  city. 

The  young  ranger  spoken  of,  was  frequently  placed  upon  picket 
guard  at  a  point  on  the  Cholula  road,  and  had  thus  become 
acquainted  with  the  sisters,  with  whom  he  seemed  to  be  on  terms 
of  friendly  intercourse.  He  was  frequently  seen  to  accompany 
them  beyond  the  confines  of  the  city  on  their  return  homeward, 
and  at  parting,  the  beautiful  Remedies  would  linger  behind  her 
sister,  and  concealed  by  the  friendly  shelter  of  a  maguey  planta 
tion,  bid  him  farewell  with  a  kiss.  It  was  evident  that  the  pas 
sion  between  the  ranger  and  the  fair  Cholulteca  was  mutual. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  city.  Let  us  follow  the 
young  girls  to  their  native  village  at  the  foot  of  the  far-famed 
pyramid. 

Under  the  shade  of  a  huge  pepper-tree,  stood  a  small  but  neat 
cottage  of  adobes.  In  the  front  of  this  cottage  was  a  little  garden 
filled  with  bright  flowers,  and  fenced  in  by  a  close  wall  of  the 
octagonal  columns  of  nopal.  Outside  of  the  little  garden  grew 
the  giant  maguey,  planted  closely  in  rows,  and  running  alongside 

28* 


330 

pathways  which  led  to  other  cottages  similar  to  the  one  abovo 
mentioned.  Such  pathways  form  the  lanes  and  streets  of  a  Mexi 
can-Indian  village. 

Over  the  cottage  door  is  a  little  awning  or  shade  formed  by 
two  or  three  poles  and  the  broad  leaves  of  the  royal  palm,  and 
under  this  awning  are  seated  the  sifters  Remedies  and  Dolores. 

They  have  been  silent  for  some  dine,  each  busily  engaged  with 
her  work,  which  consists  in  weaving  the  beautiful  palm-baskets, 
that  meet  with  such  ready  sale  in  the  plaza.  Dolores  is  no  doubt 
thinking  upon  the  profits  which  her  work  will  yield,  and  how  she 
will  rejoice  "the  heart  of  her  old  and  helpless  father,  who  has  no 
other  support.  Dolores  is  the  old  man's  favorite,  and  returns  his 
parental  fondness  with  a  heart  full  of  filial  love. 

The  thoughts  of  Remedies  are  dwelling  upon  a  far  different  object, 
and  two  or  three  times  she  has  become  so  absent  as  to  make 
strange  mistakes  in  her  work.  Presently  the  fibre  of  palm  which 
she  has  been  weaving  becomes  entangled,  and  suddenly  breaks. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  Remedies  ?"  asked  her  sister.  Then 
adds  with  a  somewhat  malicious  laugh  :  "  Thinking  of  Don  San 
tiago  !  But  come,  sister,  see  better  to  your  work,  or  we  will  not 
have  our  baskets  ready  for  to-morrow's  market,  and  then  how  you 
would  be  disappointed  !" 

Remedies  blushed,  but  made  no  other  reply  to  the  pleasantry  of 
her  sister. 

Dolores  looked  in  her  face,  and  noticing  the  blush,  said  in  a 
more  serious  tone. 

"  Ah,  Remedies !  if  Pepe  only  knew." 

"  Knew  what  ?" 

"  Of  Don  Santiago." 

"  And  if  he  did  ?"  exclaimed  the  elder  sister,  while  her  dark 
eyes  flashed  with  indignation,  "  what  is  Pepe  to  me.  J  never 
loved  him,  and  I  never  told  him  I  did — he  has  no  right  to 
me  more  than  another !" 

At  this  moment  a  footstep  reached  the  ears  of  the  sisters,  caus 
ing  them  to  start  and  look  up. 


381 

A  young  man  of  rather  a  forbidding-appearance  was  coming  tip 
between  the  rows  of  magueys.  He  was  dressed  in  the  costume 
of  an  ordinary  peasant,  but  the  short  carbine  which  he  carried 
over  his  shoulder,  and  the  belt  and  pouch  slung  across  his  breast 
betokened  that  he  was  one  of  the  enrolled  guerrillas,  whose  head 
quarters  were  for  the  time  in  the  village  of  £)holula. 

The  young  man  entered  through  the  opening  of  the  nopal 
fence,  and  striking  the  butt  of  his  piece  to  the  ground,  stopped  in 
front  of  the  cottage,  saluting  the  sisters  with  the  usual  exclama 
tion  for  that  hour,  "  buenas  tardes  !"  (good  evening.) 

The  salutation  was  returned  by  both  the  sisters;  but  in  such  a 
manner  by  the  elder,  as  showed  that  she  felt  a  coldness,  or  rather 
a  repugnance  towards  the  object  of  it. 

Pope  (the  name  of  the  intruder)  noticed  this,  and  glared  upon 
her  with  a  scowl  which  bespoke  a  strange  blending  of  fierce  love 
with  jealous  anger.  It  was  evident  that  he  was  now  before  them 
with  some  sinister  design,  and  the  sisters  sat  without  speaking, 
but  both  trembling  under  the  influence  of  his  evil  eye. 

"  So,  Remedies,  I  have  found  out  the  reason  why  you  rejected 
me  so  scornfully ;  but  I  will  be  revenged." 

"  What  mean  you,  Pepe  ?"  asked  the  girl  in  a  conciliatory 
tone. 

"You  know  what  I  mean.  I  have  heard  and  know  well,  too, 
of  your  partings  on  the  road  by  the  garita.  I  have  been  told  all 
— but  trust  me  you  will  take  no  more  of  these  affectionate  fare 
wells,  for  this  night  I  will  have  my  revenge.  We  have  laid  our 
plans,  and  this  night  your  Yankee  lover  will  die — and  if  by  to 
morrow  at  noon  you  have  not  promised  to  be  mine,  you  may 
dread  the  vengeance  of  my  comrades,  for  they  shall  know  all. 

"Remember,  to-morrow  I  return." 

So  saying,  the  guerrilla  flung  his  carbine  over  his  shoulder,  and 
with  an  angry  look  strode  from  the  cottage. 

The  young  girls  watched  for  a  moment  in  silence  his  retreating 
form.  When  he  had  passed  from  their  sight,  Reraedios  bent 
towards  her  sister,  and  in  a  half  whisper  asked  : 


S32 

"  What  does  he  mean  when  he  says  that  he  must  die  to-night  ? 
Do  you  think  he  has  some  plot  laid  to  assassinate  Don  Santiago?11 

';  No,  to-night  they  are  to  attack  the  picket  at  the  garita.  You 
know  that  this  is  the  day  of  Don  Santiago's  guard.  I  overheard 
one  of  the  guerrillas  talk  of  their  plan  as  I  came  from  the 
church." 

All  that  night  Remedies  was  unhappy.  She  slept  but  little, 
thinking  of  the  threat  which  had  been  uttered  by  the  jealous 
Pepe,  and  with  painful  suspense  she  awaited  the  approach  of 
day. 

At  an  early  hour  the  sisters,  with  their  baskets  filled  with  the 
work  of  yesterday,  and  a  profusion  of  beautiful  flowers,  started 
for  Puebla. 

Shortly  after  leaving  the  village  they  met  an  Indian  woman 
coming  from  the  direction  of  the  city,  driving  an  ass.  This 
woman  informed  the  sisters  that  there  had  been  a  severe  skirmish 
near  the  garita  between  the  guerrillas  and  the  guard,  in  which  the 
former  had  been  defeated  and  scattered.  The  guard  had  got 
information  by  some  means  of  the  intended  attack,  and  had  sent 
to  Puebla  for  a  reinforcement  of  mounted  men,  which  had  arrived 
just  in  time  and  by  a  circuitous  route,  and  had  attacked  the  guer 
rillas  in  the  rear,  so  that  only  a  few  of  them  escaped  from  either 
death  or  capture. 

The  sisters  had  scarcely  bid  adieu  to  the  Indian  woman,  when, 
on  reaching  a  turn  in  the  road,  they  came  upon  one  of  the  guer 
rillas  seated  upon  a  stone. 

A  handkerchief  was  bound  around  his  head — his  face,  pale  and 
haggard,  was  spotted  with  blood,  and  there  was  a  look  of  wild 
revenge  in  his  eye  as  he  recognized  the  approach  of  the  two 
girls. 

They  were  at  first  alarmed  on  perceiving  whom  they  had 
encountered,  for  it  was  Pepe  who  was  before  them,  but  when  they 
saw  that  the  guerrilla  was  wounded,  and  apparently  suffering,  in 
the  true  spirit  of  womanly  compassion  both  the  young  girls  ran 
up  to  him  and  inquired  what  they  could  do  to  assist  him. 


1133 

This  appeared  for  a  moment  to  soften  the  bitter  spirit  of  the 
wounded  man,  and  in  a  manner  of  more  tenderness  than  he  usu 
ally  exhibited,  he  requested  one  of  them  to  bring  him  a  draught 
of  water,  while  the  other  rebound  the  handkerchief  upon  his 
wound. 

The  elder  sister  immediately  ran  to  fulfill  his  request,  while 
Dolores  remained  alone  with  the  guerrilla. 

She  unbound  the  handkerchief  with  tender  care,  and  had  com 
menced  readjusting  it,  when  the  sudden  trampling  of  horses' hoofs 
was  heard,  and  before  the  wounded  man  had  time  to  escape,  half 
a  dozen  rangers  came  galloping  up  the  road. 

The  guerrilla  had  seized  his  carbine,  and  was  making  for  the 
chaparral,  when  one  of  his  pursuers  called  at  him  to  halt,  and  they 
would  spare  him.  Seeing  the  impossibility  of  escape,  the  man 
turned  suddenly  round  and  doggedly  approached  the  party  of 
rangers,  who  had  halted  upon  the  road. 

At  this  moment  Remedies  returned,  and  recognizing  one  of  the 
rangers,  with  an  exclamation  of  delight  called  out — 

"  Don  Santiago !" 

"Ha!"  cried  the  guerrilla,  "it  is  he!"  And  throwing  up  his 
carbine,  he  fired  at  the  young  ranger,  who  had  leaped  from  his 
horse,  and  was  approaching  the  girl. 

The  ball  took  effect,  passing  through  the  fleshy  part  of  the  ran 
ger's  arm.  The  shock  brought  him  to  the  ground,  and  the  wild 
laugh  of  the  guerrilla  told  that  he  believed  his  vengeance  had  been 
complete. 

The  quick  successive  reports  of  half  a  dozen  rifles  for  a  moment 
drowned  his  laugh,  and  when  they  ceased  it  was  heard  no  more. 
He  that  had  uttered  it  lay  by  the  road  a  bleeding  corpse. 


THE   UNKNOWN  ARTIST. 

ONE  day,  as  the  celebrated  Rubens,  accompanied  by  his  pupils, 
Vandyke,  Van  Thalden,  Jaiques,  and  Van  Zulden,  were  strolling 
through  the  suburbs  of  Madrid,  they  found  themselves  in  the 
neighborhood  of  a  very  mean-looking  convent.  Having  entered 
the  building,  they  observed,  with  surprise,  the  poverty  of  the 
establishment,  and  also  the  austerity  and  humiliation  to  which  the 
poor  monks  submitted  themselves.  In  the  midst  of  this  meanness 
and  poverty,  however,  the  eyes  of  the  great  artist  fell  upon  a 
small  painting,  that  gave  evidence  of  the  most  sublime  talent  on 
the  part  of  its  author.  The  painting  represented  the  death  of  a 
monk.  Rubens  called  his  pupils  to  his  side,  and  pointed  out  the 
work  that  had  so  excited  his  admiration.  They  were  all  equally 
struck  with  the  genius  which  the  unknown  artist  had  displayed. 

"And  who  can  be  the  author  of  this  work?"  inquired  Van 
dyke,  the  favorite  pupil  of  the  great  master. 

A  name  had  evidently  been  written  below  the  painting,  but 
afterwards  carefully  erased. 

Van  Zulden  pointed  to  this,  but  none  of  the  artists  could 
decipher  the  blotted  inscription. 

After  some  consultation,  Rubens  sent  a  pressing  request  to  the 
prior  of  the  convent  to  grant  him  a  short  interview,  to  which  the 
latter  acceded.  In  a  few  minutes  he  made  his  appearance, 
clothed  in  the  humblest  garb  of  his  order,  and  inquired,  meekly, 
the  wishes  of  the  strangers. 

"  Pardon  me,  father,"  said  Rubens,  "  I  have  taken  the  liberty 
of  sending  for  you,  to  inquire  the  name  of  him  who  produced  this 
remarkable  painting." 

41  He  is  not  now  in  the  world,"  was  his  answer. 

884 


335 

u  Dead !"  exclaimed  Rubens,  "  dead !  and  no  one  has  known 
him  till  now — no  one  has  announced  his  name,  so  that  it  might 
become  immortal ;  a  name,  by  the  side  of  which  my  own  would 
sink  into  obscurity,  notwithstanding,"  added  tfae  artist,  with  a 
noble  pride,  "  notwithstanding  that  I  am  Paul  Rubens." 

At  hearing  this  name,  the  countenance  of  the  prior  became 
strangely  illuminated  with  the  fire  of  enthusiasm,  and  he  fixed  his 
eyes  upon  Rubens  with  a  look  that  spoke  more  than  mere  curiosity. 
But  his  enthusiasm  seemed  gradually  to  die  away.  He  lowered 
his  eyes  upon  the  ground,  and  crossing  his  arms — that  a  moment 
before,  at  the  mention  of  the  great  artist's  name,  had  been  lifted 
towards  Heaven — on  his  breast,  he  slowly  repeated : 

"  The  painter  is  not  now  in  the  world." 

"  But  his  name,  worthy  father,  his  name  ?"  cried  Rubens ;  "  tell 
it  to  me,  that  I  may  reveal  it  to  the  universe,  and  proclaim  for  it 
the  immortality  which  it  so  well  merits." 

And  Vandyke,  Jaiques,  Van  Zulden,  all  added  their  voices  to 
that  of  their  master,  and  earnestly  entreated  the  prior  to  name 
the  author  of  the  picture.  The  monk  trembled  from  head  to  foot, 
while  a  cold  sweat  passed  over  his  lean  and  sallow  cheeks ;  his 
lips  became  contracted,  and  his  whole  frame  assumed  the  con 
vulsive  semblance  of  one  who  was  about  to  reveal  some  dreadful 
secret. 

"  The  name !  the  name !"  impatiently  repeated  Rubens  and  the 
others. 

The  prior,  with  a  deep  solemnity  in  his  voice  and  manner, 
commenced  : 

"  Listen  to  me,  senores ;  you  have  misunderstood  me ;  I  have 
said  to  you  that  the  author  of  this  painting  is  not  in  the  world — 
but  I  did  not  mean  that  he  was  dead." 

u  Ha !  he  lives,  then  ?  say,  does  he  live  ?  Show  him  to  us,  that 
we  may  honor  him." 

41  He  does  live,  but  has  renounced  all  things  that  pertain  to  the 
vain  pursuits  of  the  earth.  He  is  in  a  cloister,  and  is  a  monk." 

tt  A  monk !  mio  padre,  a  monk !    Tell  me  in  what  convent,  that 


336 

I  may  go  to  him  and  bring  him  thence  !  When  God  has  given 
such  genius  as  this,  it  is  not  fit  that  it  should  be  buried  in  a 
cloister.  God  has  sent  him  upon  a  sublime  mission.  It  is  neces 
sary  that  he  should  fulfill  it.  Tell  me,  holy  prior,  what  convent, 
so  that  I  may  rescue  him  from  his  solitude,  and  reveal  to  him  the 
glory  that  awaits  him.  Tell  it  to  me,  and  the  pope,  who  esteems 
me,  will  hear  my  request  and  grant  it." 

"  I  will  not  tell  you  his  name,  nor  the  convent  to  which  he 
belongs,"  answered  the  prior,  resolutely. 

"  The  pope  will  command  it  for  us,"  replied  Rubens,  despair 
ingly. 

"  Hearken  to  me,  senores !"  said  the  monk ;  "  hear  me  in  the 
name  of  Heaven  !  Do  jou  think  that  this  man,  before  abandon 
ing  the  world  to  end  his  days  in  the  solitude  of  a  cloister,  did  not 
sufficiently  prepare  himself  to  wrestle  with  such  temptation  as  you 
would  now  offer? — that  the  bitter  disappointment,  the  cruel 
wrongs  which  he  has  suffered  in  the  world,  have  not  sufficiently 
convinced  him  that  the  joys  and  glories  of  earth  are  naught  but 
vanity  ?  He  has,  and  your  entreaties  can  avail  nothing.  His 
determination  is  sealed  to  die  in  the  seclusion  to  which  an 
unkind  and  wicked  world  has  driven  him,  and  not  all  the  foolish 
glory  of  that  world  can  allure  him  back.  Children,  you  speak 
unwisely — it  is  in  vain  !" 

"  But,  holy  father,  that  which  he  renounces  is  immortality." 

"  And  what  is  immortality  in  name,  when  compared  with  the 
eternity  of  the  soul  ?" 

So  saying,  the  prior  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  covered  up 
his  face  in  the  folds  of  his  capucho. 

Rubens  and  his  pupils  went  out  from  his  presence  with  feelings 
of  disappointment,  and  they  all  returned  to  the  city,  silent  and 
thoughtful. 

After  they  had  gone,  the  monk  returned  to  his  cell,  and,  kneel 
ing  down  upon  a  small  mattress  of  straw,  that  served  him  for  a 
bed,  he  prayed  fervently.  When  he  had  finished,  he  arose,  and 
gathering  together  his  pencils,  and  colors,  with  an  easel,  and  two 


337 

or  three  frames  that  leaned  against  the  walls  of  his  cell,  he 
approached  the  window.  A  deep  river  -ran  beneath  the  open 
lattice.  Summoning  up  resolution,  he  flung  the  little  collection 
of  articles  (through  whose  aid  he  had  often  beguiled  the  lonely 
hour)  upon  the  rapid  current. 

With  a  long  look  of  melancholy,  he  watched  them  as  they  were 
borne  away  upon  the  bosom  of  the  stream,  and  when  a  bend  in 
the  river  h/J.  liiem  from  bis  sight,  he  knelt  again  upca  his  mat  of 
straw,  and  prayed. 


WANITA, 

THE    BEAUTY   OF    THE    El^i. 

IN  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  remote  districts  of  Texas,  one 
hundred  miles  northwest  from  San  Antonio,  and  almost  as  far 
from  any  other  Christian  settlement,  may  be  seen  the  ruined 
remains  of  an  old  Spapish  outpost  called  by  the  Mexicans  of  the 
present  day  "  Casa  del  Sangre  "  (House  of  Blood).  It  is  situated 
on  a  hill  overlooking  the  San  Saba  River,  about  forty  miles  above 
its  confluence  with  the  Colorado.  The  old  grey  walls,  embraced 
by  a  green  trellis-work  of  parasitical  plants,  and  overshadowed  by 
huge  live  oaks,  form  a  picturesque  feature  on  the  landscape,  rarely 
witnessed,  however,  except  by  the  adventurous  hunter  and  the 
wild  savage  of  the  hills. 

The  fort,  originally  called  Sabano,  was  built  for  the  protection 
of  a  silver  mine,  that  was  worked  by  the  early  Spanish  settlers. 
The  latter  has  been  long  since  abandoned.  Part  of  the  valley 
contiguous  to  the  fort  has  been  under  cultivation,  for  the  ridges 
may  still  be  traced,  and,  among  the  crumbling  walls,  some  fruit 
trees,  and  half  a  dozen  plants  of  the  aloe  species,  still  flourish, 
exciting  the  mind  of  the  traveller  to  a  keen  and  romantic  interest. 

There  is  something  irresistibly  pleasing  in  the  contemplation  of 
these  old  deserted  settlements — they  beget  strange  imaginings  of 
the  past — in  which  we  can  fancy  interesting  scenes  of  industry  and 
enterprise — wild  adventures  with  savage  foemen — captivity,  tor 
ture,  and  death — and  the  mysterious  name  of  this  old  fortress, 
together  with  its  dismantled  condition,  told  that  other  agency 
than  that  of  time  had  aided  in  its  destruction. 

It  was  with  feelings  of  no  common  curiosity,  that  a  small  party 


of  adventurers,  consisting  of  three  Texans,  two  Mexican  gentlemen 
from  San  Antonio,  and  the  writer  of  the  present  article,  with  our 
Indian  guide,  alighted  before  the  deserted  outpost  of  Casa  del 
Sangre.  Our  expedition  hither  had  been  undertaken  for  the  pur 
pose  of  examining  the  condition  of  the  mine  already  referred  to. 
It  was  not  without  danger,  as  the  valley  of  the  San  Saba  lay  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  Comanche  hunting-ground,  though  the  con 
ditions  of  the  late  treaty  between  our  government  and  the 
Comanche  nation  would  sufficiently  protect  us  if  observed — if  not, 
there  were  seven  of  us  (our  guide  being  a  half-blood,  and  more 
Mexican  than  Indian), » well  armed — and  well  used  to  forest 
fighting. 

It  was  nearly  noon  when  we  reached  the  ruin,  and  we  con 
cluded  before  proceeding  to  the  mine  to  take  our  mid-day  repast. 
Fastening  our  horses  to  the  bunging  branches  of  a  huge  willow, 
we  seated  ourselves  in  the  cool  shade  of  a  clump  of  luxuriant  live 
tit's.  Dried  deer  flesh,  slices  of  buffalo  tongue,  and  tortilla  cakes, 
soon  appeared  from  our  saddle  pouches,  and  almost  as  hastily  dis 
appeared,  and  then  small  flagons  of  aguardiente  came  forth,  and 
were  applied  to  thirsting  lips,  that  blessed  the  luck  we  had  met  in 
the  last  raiicho — and,  after  frequent  applications  of  this  sort, 
silence  gave  place  to  a  general  and  interesting  conversation,  and 
the  toils  and  perils  of  the  journey  were — for  a  while  at  least — for 
gotten. 

"  Where  is  Basano  ?"  cried  a  voice ;  "  Senor  Basano !" 

"  He  is  in  the  ruin,"  answered  the  guide. 

"  'Tis  very  strange,"  observed  a  Texan ;  "  he  crossed  himself 
when  we  first  came  in  sight  of  the  fort,  and  twice  again  as  we 
forded  the  river,  muttering  all  the  while  his  lpor  amor  de  Dios? 
and  his  '  neustra  Senora '— 'tis  very  strange.  I  have  known 
Basano  ten  years,  and  I  always  thought  him  a  sensible  man." 

"  Why,  Lopez  is  off,  too,"  whispered  another  Texan,  pointing  to 
the  young  Don,  who  had  left  our  party,  and  was  walking  with 
undue  solemnity  towards  the  fort.  "I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  gents, 
the  Mexicans  are  mad." 


340 

We  had  all  come  to  the  conclusion  that  something  certainly 
was  the  matter,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  unworthy  suspicions  were 
beginning  to  intrude  themselves.  "We  were  here  in  a  country  a 
hundred  miles  from  any  American  settlement,  and  should  these 

Mexicans,  to  favor  some  view  of  their  late  government we 

looked  towards  half  a  dozen  rifles,  and  as  many  pair  of  pistols, 
that  lay  within  a  short  distance. 

"  Bah,  gentlemen,  for  shame !  Senores  Lopez  and  Basano  are 
our  comrades,  and  as  good  Texans  as  any  of  us — it's  only  some 
twist  in  the  ways  of  *  Mother  Church.' — See !  they  are  coming  out." 

As  he  spoke,  the  two  Mexicans  stepped  out  from  the  ruin. 
Basano,  the  elder,  approached  a  large  maguey  that  grew  in  front, 
and  drawing  his  machete,  he  severed  two  or  three  slips  from  the 
plant,  which,  after  pruning  a  little,  he  tied  behind  the  saddle  of 
his  mustang.  This  puzzled  us  still  more.  What  he  could  want 
with  a  bunch  of  aloe  shoots  was  beyond  our  conjecture,  and  we 
waited  for  the  result.  After  having  properly  secured  the  slips  and 
sheathed  his  hunting  knife,  he  approached.  Curiosity  was  pictured 
in  our  countenances,  and  the  Mexican  perceived  it 

"  Ah !  caballeros,  you  are  wondering  why  I  maimed  the  poor 
maguey — I  hated  to  do  it." 

"Why,  in  truth,  Senor  Basano,  that  and  some  other  little 
matters  have  puzzled  us  not  a  little." 

"  Well,  then,  senores,  I  will  explain  the  circumstances ;  but  you 
will  have  to  listen  to  a  long  legend." 

«  A  legend  ?" 

"Yes— the  legend  of  the  Brazos  de  Dios." 

u  With  pleasure,  Senor  Basano,"  cried  several  voices  at  once ; 
"  but  first  take  a  cup  of  the  best  water  in  Texas,  mixed  with  the 
worst  brandy." 

Our  brandy,  or  aguardiente  (for  it  was  the  mescal  of  the  Mexi 
cans),  was  wretched,  to  American  palates,  but  a  spring  of  water, 
clear  and  cold  as  ice,  gurgled  forth  from  a  rock  at  our  feet,  and, 
after  bubbling  through  a  mraiature  lake  of  crystal,  fringed  with 
lilies,  sparkled  away  towards  the  San  Saba, 


34:1 

We  now  seated  ourselves  on  fragments  of  rock,  each  one  having 
taken  a  fresh  pull  at  his  flagon,  while  the  "  vuelta  de  Ahajo,"  in 
Yankee  parlance,  "  the  weed,"  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand. 
Cigars,  too,  were  lit,  and  we  waited  patiently  for  Don  Basano  to 
commence  the  legend. 

After  making  the  "  sacred  sign  "  with  due  solemnity,  the  Mexi 
can  proceeded : 

"  Senores,  it  is  more  than  forty  years  since  I  first  saw  the  Casa 
del  Sangre — you  are  surprised  at  what  I  have  said  (we  were  sur 
prised,  as  none  of  us  supposed  Don  Basano  to  be  much  over  forty 
years  of  age),  but  you  need  not — I  was  born  within  those  very 
walls !  Fifty  years  ago,  where  you  now  see  only  a  pile  of  crum 
bling  mason-work,  stood  a  handsome  and  well-built  castle ;  and, 
along  the  hillside,  down  to  the  spot  where  we  are  sitting,  were  up 
wards  of  a  hundred  houses — but  they  were  of  wood,  and  the  fire 
has  left  no  trace  of  them — no,  not  a  single  beam !" 

Don  Basano  remained  for  a  moment  silent.  He  was  evidently 
grappling  with  some  painful  recollection  of  the  past;  and  the 
unusual  solemnity  of  his  manner  prevented  us  from  interrupting 
his  reverie.  He  at  length  continued : 

"  The  valley,  as  far  as  yonder  bend  in  the  river,  was  cleared  and 
cultivated,  and  fields  of  maize,  and  cotton,  and  maguey,  stretched 
away  back  to  the  hills ;  but  this  was  when  I  was  but  a  child,  and 
I  can  barely  recollect  the  settlement.  It  has  been  often  described 
to  me  by  one  who  survived  that  fearful  night.  I  returned  to  see 
it  ten  years  after,  and  I  then  saw  the  corn  growing  wild,  but  no 
hand  to  gather  it;  and  here  and  there  plants  of  the  maguey,  as 
you  see  them  now,  stunted  and  shrivelled,  and  eaten  by  the  buffalo 
and  the  wild  oxeu  of  the  hills.  I  returned  to  see  the  place  of  my 
nativity  in  ruins ! — to  see  those  walls,  the  only  remains  of  a  pros 
perous  settlement,  not  as  they  are  now,  garlanded  with  vines  and 
flowers,  but  bare  and  desolate — wasted  and  blackened  with  the 
fire  that  had  consumed  their  roofs !  I  returned  then,  and  many 
times  since,  to  seek  for  vengeance  upon  the  murderers  of  my 
mother,  and  with  my  comrades  I  found  it  (though  God's  arm  had 

29* 


amply  avenged  us),  and  many  a  Comanche  had  good  cause,  after 
wards,  to  rue  the  burning  of  the  Casa  del  Sangre !  I  am  straying 
from  my  tale,  senores,  but  I  shall  now  proceed." 

We  had  now  become  deeply  interested  in  the  feelings  of  our 
Mexican  companion.  His  strange  behavior  was  sufficiently 
accounted  for.  We  had  all  heard  that  the  Casa  del  Sangre  had 
been  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  and  that,  in  consequence  of  their 
hostility,  the  settlement  had  been  deserted,  and  we  were  curious  to 
hear  the  account  of  this  event ;  and  the  more  so,  as  Don  Basano 
had  been  himself  one  of  the  unfortunate  colonists. 

'•  The  Casa  del  Sangre  was  originally  called  '  Sabano.'  It  was 
only  after  the  events  I  am  about  to  relate,  that  it  assumed  the 
name  of  the  '  Bloody  House.7  Previous  to  this,  it  was  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  colonies  in  Texas.  The  mines  of  which  we  are 
in  search,  lie  in  the  heart  of  those  wooded  hills,  and  at  this  time 
amply  repaid  the  labor  of  working  them.  There  were  two  hun 
dred  laborers  employed  in  these,  and  in  the  village  and  fields  three 
hundred  more ;  both  men  and  women  were  engaged  in  the  culti 
vation  of  the  soil,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  articles  for  the  Indian 
market.  Besides  these,  there  were  a  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers 
to  garrison  the  fort,  and  there  was  also  a  mission  with  its  church, 
through  the  influence  of  which  many  of  the  neighboring  Indians 
had  been  induced  to  join  the  settlement,  and  had  become  converts 
to  the  Christian  religion. 

44  Senores,  it  was  about  this  time  that  the  government  of  Spain 
— then  our  government — appointed  Count  Rosas  to  the  command 
of  the  fort  and  colony.  The  count  was  an  old  Castilian,  and 
brought  along  with  him,  besides  his  lady  and  an  only  son,  several 
families  of  distinction,  and  a  number  of  gay  young  men  from 
Madrid.  The  count,  moreover,  was  a  man  of  a  quiet  and  bene 
ficent  disposition,  and  Sabano  began  to  prosper  under  his  adminis 
tration.  His  son,  who  was  called  Francisco,  though  of  a  brave 
and  generous  heart,  was  as  wild  as  an  antelope,  and,  instead  of 
assisting  his  father  in  the  affairs  of  the  colony,  he  spent  most  of 
his  time  in  hunting  excursions  and  parties  of  pleasure,  attended  by 


Hi 

his  companions  from  Madrid,  and  generally  by  half  the  soldiers  of 
the  garrison,  of  whom  he  was,  under  his  father,  lieutenant-colonel. 

"In  one  of  his  hunting  expeditions  towards  the  Guadalupe 
mountains,  he,  with  his  party,  suddenly  came  upon  a  large  Indian 
town,  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Rio  Saco.  The  inhabitants 
were  of  the  Comanche  tribe,  but  made  a  semi-annual  residence  in 
this  valley,  where  they  had  built  their  cottages,  and  had  cultivated 
the  fertile  soil.  Francisco  and  his  party  were  received  by  the  old 
Cazique  with  every  honor,  and  the  young  lieutenant-colonel  wa? 
lodged  in  the  bohio  of  the  chief  himself.  It  was  agreed  that  they 
should  remain  and  spend  some  days  in  hunting  in  company  with 
the  host  and  his  warriors.  Nearly  a  week  was  passed  in  this  way 
— many  buffaloes,  bears  and  deer  were  slaughtered,  and  there  was 
much  feasting  and  merriment  in  the  Indian  town. 

"  In  the  meantime,  the  Count  Rosas,  and  the  people  at  Sabano, 
were  becoming  uneasy  at,  the  long  absence  of  the  expedition,  and 
messengers  were  sent  from  the  fort  in  quest  of  them.  It  was  not 
his  enjoyment  of  the  chase  that  detained  Francisco  from  returning 
to  Sabano.  No — there  was  another,  and  far  more  powerful  reason. 
The  Cazique  of  this  Indian  tribe,  had  an  only  daughter  called 
Wanita.  She  was  very  beautiful,  and  almost  as  fair  as  our  own 
people,  so  that  many  believed  she  was  not  his  daughter,  but  some 
girl  stolen  from  the  settlements  on  the  Rio  Grande.  How  this 
may  have  been,  I  cannot  say — but,  if  true,  she  must  have  been 
carried  away  while  very  young,  for  she  knew  nothing  of  our  life 
or  language ;  and,  moreover,  the  old  chief  had  always  treated  her 
as  his  own  child. 

"  Wanita  was  about  to  be  married  to  the  chief-of  a  neighboring 
tribe,  and  preparations  were  already  made  for  the  approaching 
nuptials,  when  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards  changed  the  course  of 
events.  The  Indian  maiden  was  struck  with  the  splendid  dress, 
the  high  command,  and  gallant  bearing  of  the  handsome  young 
officer — for  Don  Francisco  was  a  noble-leaking  youth — and,  in  less 
than  twenty-four  hours  after  his  arriva ,  she  was  passionately  in 
love  with  him. 


344 

*4Sefiores,  the  love  of  the  Indian  maiden  is  unlike  that  of  our 
race.  It  is  single  in  its  object,  but  irresistible  as  the  cataract.  She 
will  brook  DO  opposition,  and  will  sooner  die  than  be  separated 
from  the  idol  of  her  affections.  I  have  known  many  cases,  in 
which  wrong,  neglect,  and  desertion,  were  repaid  by  the  assassina 
tion  of  the  wronger,  and  afterwards  came  the  self-destruction  of  the 
wronged  one.  Wanita  had  been  tenderly  reared,  and  though, 
according  to  her  father's  desire,  she  had  consented  to  marry 
Wawara.  the  neighboring  Cazique,  it  was  simply  a  yielding  to 
what  she  supposed  was  her  destiny  and  duty ;  but  now,  that  she 
had  seen  and  loved  the  young  chief  of  the  pale-faced  warriors,  the 
sight  of  Wawara  became  hateful  to  her,  and  in  less  than  a  week 
from  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards,  she  told  her  father,  in  a  positive 
and  resolute  manner,  that  she  would  sooner  die  than  become  his 
wife. 

"  Francisco  was  not  less  enamored  of  the  wild  beauty  of  the 
hills.  He  had  been  captivated  at  first  sight.  As  she  bounded 
forth  to  meet  the  old  chief,  her  father,  and  flung  herself  affection 
ately  on  his  neck — then  perceiving,  for  the  first  time,  the  hand 
some  stranger,  as  she  crouched  by  her  father's  side,  gazing  upon 
Francisco  with  undisguised  admiration,  a  less  sensitive  heart  than 
that  of  the  young  officer  would  have  been  touched  by  her  beauty. 
Francisco  had  never  before  seen  so  much  grace — such  elasticity  of 
motion — such  a  piercing,  yet  lovely  eye — or  so  finely  pencilled 
eyebrows.  Her  features  were  all  perfection,  such  as  he  had  never 
seen,  even  in  his  native  Spain ;  and  her  glossy  hair,  of  a  purple 
blackness,  that  would  have  swept  the  earth,  was  arranged  upon 
her  beautiful  head  and  neck,  forming  a  coiffure  that  art  could  not 
imitate. 

**  Francisco  was  struck  at  first  sight  by  her  beauty  ;  but  when, 
after  the  expiration  of  a  week,  he  became  conscious  of  her  modest 
purity  and  innocence,  of  her  attachment  to  himself,  which,  in  her 
simplicity,  she  had  taken  no  pains  to  conceal,  his  love  became 
deep  and  ardent.  Though  wild,  and  unattached  to  business  modes 
of  life,  he  inherited  his  father's  goodness  and  generosity  of  heart. 


345 

He  was  the  last  man  to  have  taken  the  advantage  of  love,  or  to 
rob  of  her  innocence  even  an  Indian  maiden,  and  when  his  father's 
messengers  arrived  requiring  his  immediate  return  to  Sabano,  and 
he  saw  the  danger  of  a  separation,  he  made  a  formal  application 
for  her  hand  in  marriage. 

"The  old  chief,  who  was  kind-hearted,  and  well-disposed  towards 
the  whites,  would  willingly  have  complied  with  his  request,  but  he 
dreaded  the  anger  of  Wawara,  who  was  much  more  powerful  than 
himself.  After  being  urged,  however,  by  the  lover,  and  promised 
the  protection  of  the  whites,  he  consented,  and  upon  the  next  day 
he  and  his  whole  tribe  left  the  valley  of  the  Saco,  and  accompanied 
the  Spaniards  to  Sabano,  where,  in  due  time,  with  the  consent  of 
Count  Rosas  and  his  lady,  Don  Francisco  was  married  to  the 
Indian  Princess  Wanita.  The  consent  of  Francisco's  father  and 
mother  was  obtained  by  the  aid  of  the  Padre  Urbano,  who  was 
much  attached  to  Francisco,  and  whose  influence  in  the  settle 
ment  was  very  great.  The  worthy  father  expected  by  this  means 
to  bring  over  to  Christianity  all  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  for  Padre  Urbano  was  a  true  man  of  God,  and  was  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  him. 

"  From  this  time,  everything  prospered  to  a  greater  degree  than 
before.  Don  Francisco,  who  was  much  attached  to  his  young  bride, 
remained  almost  constantly  at  the  fort,  engaged  in  building  and 
ornamenting  the  house  in  which  they  were  to  live.  Wanita 
became  the  favorite  of  every  female  in  the  colony,  and  her  educa 
tion,  under  the  good  priest  Urbano,  was  daily  progressing. 

"  Senores,  my  narration  now  brings  me  to  the  dreadful  occur 
rence  that  desolated  this  beautiful  valley,  destroyed  and  annihilat 
ed  a  flourishing  colony,  and  changed  the  name  of  the  Casa  Sabano 
to  the  fearful  appellation  of  the  *  House  of  Blood.'  I  was  then  only 
six  years  of  age,  yet  I  understood,  and  can  remember  with  a  horri 
ble  distinctness,  many  of  the  occurrences  of  that  day  of  fire  and 
murder. 

"  Wawara  having  learned  the  deception  that  had  been  practised 
upon  him,  and  the  flight  of  his  betrothed  and  her  father,  bad 


346 

determined  on  a  bloody  vengeance.  He  had  heard  of  the  mar 
riage  of  Wanita  to  the  young  chief  of  the  whites,  and  he  was 
filled  with  rage  and  jealousy.  Knowing,  however,  that  to  attack 
Sabano,  while  the  soldiers  were  in  the  fort,  would  be  worse  than 
useless,  he  resolved  to  wait  for  a  favorable  opportunity. 

"  That  opportunity,  unfortunately,  arrived  too  soon.  The  silence 
of  Wawara  operated  as  the  cunning  chief  had  calculated,  and  his 
expected  enmity,  not  having  shown  itself  in  an  immediate  attack, 
was  with  himself  forgotten,  or  supposed  to  have  been  buried 
through  necessity. 

"About  the  middle  of  Indian  summer,  Don  Francisco  and  his 
father-in-law  started  on  a  hunting  expedition,  towards  the  forks  of 
the  Cobrado,  where,  at  that  season,  may  buffaloes  were  known  to 
pass  in  their  annual  migrations.  Nearly  all  the  soldiers  of  the 
colony  accompanied  the  expedition,  and  in  consequence  the  fort, 
as  well  as  the  mine,  was  left  completely  unguarded.  So  great 
was  the  feeling  of  security,  that  the  Indians  of  the  surrounding 
district  were  freely  admitted  into  the  fort  for  the  purpose  of  trad 
ing.  These,  however,  were  mostly  friendly  Indians,  and  well 
known  to  the  settlers.  On  the  third  day  of  Don  Francisco's 
absence,  and  the  day  on  which  the  hunters  were  expected  to 
return,  a  larger  number  than  usual  of  these  strange  Indians,  closely 
wrapped  in  their  buffalo  robes,  but  apparently  unarmed  as  the 
others,  were  observed  in  the  village,  and  admitted  unsuspectingly 
into  the  fort.  All  at  once  rose  the  cry  of,  *  Wawara  ! —  Wawara  ! 
mueran  los  blancos  /'  (death  to  the  whites) — for  the  tribe  of 
Wawara  had  learned  to  speak  our  language  on  the  Rio  Grande  * 

*  The  destruction  of  the  fort  and  colony  of  San  Saba,  by  the  Indians,  is 
a  historical  fact  well  known  in  the  records  of  Texas.  With  regard  to  that 
part  of  the  tradition  relative  to  the  Brazos  de  Dios,  we  might  observe  that 
it  is  told  and  firmly  believed  by  the  Mexicans  of  San  Antonio,  and  is  a  fair 
specimen  of  the  monkish  legends,  that  in  most  of  the  Mexican  settlements, 
and  particularly  among  the  rude  Indians,  usurp  the  place  of  true  religion. 
We  might  also  observe  that  the  river  now  called  Colorado,  was  formerly  the 
Brazos,  the  two  rivers,  Colorado  and  Brazos,  having,  by  some  mistake  in 


347 

— and  the  savages,  throwing  aside  their  buffalo  skins,  discovered 
knives  and  tomahawks,  with  which  they  commenced  an  indis 
criminate  slaughter.  I  can  remember  distinctly  the  first  wild 
onslaught,  and  the  wild  yells  of  the  Indians!  I  rcas  standing  by 
my  mother's  cottage.  I  rushed  for  the  door.  I  met  my  mother, 
and  clung  to  her  knees  for  protection.  I  remember  her  struggle 
with  a  hugh  savage,  who  brandished  his  hatchet  over  her  head 
and  struck  her  repeatedly  till  she  fell,  covering  me  with  her  warm 
blood  !  I  can  remember  how  the  monster  seized  me  by  the  hair 
and  flung  me  out  of  the  window — that  I  fell  into  the  centre  of  a 
large  maguey— and  how  I  lay  concealed  among  its  giant  leaves, 
and  saw  the  Indians  rushing  from  house  to  house,  and  waving 
fiery  torches,  which  they  applied  to  the  roofs,  while  others  sav 
agely  butchered  women  and  children,  who  leaped  out  from  the 
burning  windows — and  I  heard  shouts  from  the  houses,  and  saw 
some  of  the  Indians  leap  high  in  the  air,  and  then  fall  dead  beside 
their  victims — but  the  shouts  at  last  ceased,  and  I  saw  a  man  in  a 
dark  dress  pass  me,  leading  a  young  female.  They  ran  down 
the  field,  concealed  by  the  thick  leaves  of  the  aloes,  and  the  man 
mounted  a  horse,  placing  the  lady  before  him — and  I  knew  him. 
to  be  Father  Urbano — for  he  had  often  fondled  me — and  they 
galloped  off  towards  yon  dark  woods — and  then  the  houses  began 
to  smoke,  and  blaze,  and  crackle,  and  the  smoke  gathered  around 
me,  and  choked  me  until  I  was  insensible,  and  I  saw  no  more." 

Here  Don  Basano  paused  for  a  moment,  and  applied  the  flask 
to  his  lips.  We  had  become  so  interested  in  the  narration,  that 
not  one  of  our  party  offered  a  word  of  interruption.  After  tasting 
the  aguardiente,  he  continued  : 

"  When  I  came  to  my  senses  again,  I  was  still  couched  among 
the  leaves  of  the  aloe,  but  instead  of  the  village,  there  was  now 
nothing  to  be  seen  but  a  smoldering  heap  of  ashes,  and  burning 

early  times,  "  swapped  "  names.  Colorado  means  "  colored  ;" — the  Brazos 
of  the  present  day  is  colored  almost  red — while,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
Colorado  is  pure  as  crystal. 


348 

logs.  The  fort  too  was  in  flames,  but  the  wind  was  blowing  the 
smoke  in  another  direction,  so  that  I  could  breathe  freely,  and 
look  around  me  ;  and  what  was  my  joy,  when,  by  the  light  of  th.e 
fires,  for  it  had  become  nearly  night,  I  saw,  instead  of  the  gaunt 
forms  of  the  savages,  the  uniforms  of  Spanish  soldiers,  and  I  could 
hear  them  speak  in  our  own  tongue.  It  was  Don  Francisco  and 
the  hunters,  who  had  returned.  I  tumbled  rather  than  leaped 
from  my  strange  hiding-place,  and  staggered  up  to  them.  I,  a 
child  of  six  years  old,  was  the  only  living  thing  they  had  found  in 
the  settlement.  All  the  others  lay  around,  mangled,  and  ghastly, 
and  bloody — or  were  still  roasting  and  simmering  in  the  ashes  of 
their  own  dwellings !  Now,  senores,  you  know  why  this  ruin 
has  been  called  *  Casa  del  Sangre.' " 

Here  the  Mexican  paused  so  long,  that  we  thought  he  had 
ended  his  narrative. 

"  It  is  indeed  an  interesting  tale,  Senor  Basano,"  said  a  voice, 
"  but  what  has  this  legend  to  do  with  the  *  Brazos  de  Dios  ?" 

"  Hear  me  out,  senores,"  returned  the  Mexican.  "  I  told  Don 
Francisco — who  was  almost  wild  with  rage  and  grief— what  I 
had  seen ;  how  the  Padre  Urbano  had  mounted  a  horse  with  the 
lady  Wanita — for  I  knew  it  to  be  the  Indian  lady — and  that  they 
had  fled  towards  the  woods. 

"  As  soon  as  Don  Francisco  heard  these  things,  he  hurried  off, 
with  all  the  soldiers,  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  for  he  knew  that 
Wawara  would  follow  the  Padre  and  Wanita.  The  Indian  trail 
ran  in  the  direction  of  the  Brazos  Kiver.  Don  Francisco  and  his 
soldiers  spent  the  whole  night  on  the  track,  and  at  daybreak 
reached  the  river ;  but  what  was  their  surprise  when,  on  coming 
up,  they  found  the  whole  Indian  army,  with  their  chief  Wawara, 
lying  dead  upon  the  bank,  close,  to  the  water's  edge !  There 
were  no  wounds  nor  blood,  nor  any  sign  of  violence  upon  any  of 
their  bodies,  but  they  lay  with  their  faces  all  looking  in  the  same 
direction,  towards  the  east,  and  their  eyes  ghastly  and  glazed ! 
The  vultures  flew  around,  and  lit  on  the  tops  of  the  tall  trees,  but 
not  one  of  them  would  taste  their  flesh  !  He  concluded  that  they 


349 

had  died  by  a  judgment  of  God,  in  consequence  of  their  having 
pursued  his  sacred  minister,  which  was  afterwards  confirmed  by 
Father  Urbano  himself,  who  with  the  lady  Wanita  had  reached 
San  Antonio  in  safety.  He  informed  us  how  they  were  closely 
followed  by  the  Indians — and  that  the  waters  of  the  river  opened 
to  let  him  pass,  and  that  after  crossing  in  safety  with  the  lady 
Wanita,  his  pursuers  entered  the  river,  and  while  he  made  the 
sacred  sign,  and  looked  to  Heaven,  the  waters  closed  upon  them 
and  swallowed  them  up,  and  after  a  time  cast  them  out  upon  the 
bank,  stiff  and  dead,  as  our  soldiers  had  found  them.  So  that 
from  this  miraculous  interference  of  Providence,  the  river  was  ever 
afterwards  called  *  Rio  Brazos  de  Diosj  which  in  your  language, 
senores,  means  the  '  River  of  the  Arm  of  God/ 

4<  Don  Francisco,  with  his  Indian  princess  and  an  only  son,  are 
still  living  in  San  Antonio.  And  perhaps,  gentlemen,"  added  Don 
Basano,  smiling,  as  he  observed  the  eager  curiosity  of  our  coun 
tenances,  "  if  I  should  tell  you  his  family  name,  you  would  recog 
nize  both  him  and  his  son." 

"  The  name — the  name  !  Sefior  Basano !"  shouted  four  anxious 
voices  in  a  breath,  while  twice  that  number  of  anxious  ears  were 
bent  to  listen.  * 

Don  Basano  looked  towards  the  handsome  young  Mexican,  and 
we  followed  the  direction  of  his  glance.  The  smile  of  assent  that 
returned  our  gaze,  told  u*  that  the  only  son  of  the  hero  and 
heroine,  was  our  silent  and  gentlemanly  companion,  Don  Fran 
cisco  Lopez.  In  a  moment  each  of  us  had  grasped  his  hand. 

"  Now,  senores,  you  have  heard  the  legend  of  the  *  Brazos  de 
Dios.1  It  grows  late ! —  Vamos  f" 

"  No — stop,  Senor  Basano  !"  cried  Captain  Handel,  jokingly, 
"  you  have  not  explained — the  slips  of  maguey  ?" 

"  Ah !  true,  senores,  the  slips  of  maguey — it  is  only  a  trifle — I 
have  a  daughter  who  made  me  promise,  on  leaving  San  Antonio, 
to  bring  her  some  shoots  as  souvenirs — you  know  of  what — that 
i*  all,  gentlemen !" 

We  mounted  our  mustangs,  and  rode  off  for  the  mine. 

31 


SCOUTING  NEAR  VERA  CRUZ. 

HOURS  before  day,  Lieutenant  Rolfe  and  his  party  were  thread 
ing  the  mazes  of  the  chaparral.  The  moon  glistened  upon  their 
bayonets  and  bright  barrels.  Their  path  lay  in  a  southwesterly 
direction,  near  the  old  road  to  Orizava.  Here  it  passed  through 
a  glade  or  opening,  where  the  moonbeams  fell  upon  a  profusion 
of  flowers,  there  it  re-entered  dark  alleys  among  the  cluster 
ing  trees,  where  the  "  trail  arms  "  was  given  in  a  half  whisper. 
The  boughs  met  and  locked  overhead,  and  the  thick  foliage  hid 
the  moon  from  sight.  Now  a  bright  beam  escaping  through 
some  chance  opening  in  the  leaves,  quivered  along  the  path,  and 
scared  the  wolf  in  his  midnight  wanderings.'  Out  again  upon  the 
open  track  through  the  soft  grass,  and  winding  around  the  wild 
maguey,  or  under  the  claw-shaped  thorns  of  the  musquit.  A  deer 
sprung  from  his  lair  among  the  soft  flowers — looked  back  for  a 
moment  at  the  strange  intruders,  and  frightened  at  the  gleaming 
steel,  dashed  off  into  the  thicket.  The  woods  are  not  silent  by 
night,  as  in  the  colder  regions  of  the  North.  The  southern  forest 
has  its  voices,  moonlit  or  dark.  All  through  the  livelong  night 
sings  the  mock-bird — screams  the  "  loreto."  From  dark  till  dawn,, 
you  hear  the  hoarse  baying  of  the  "  coyote,"  and  the  dismal  howl 
of  the  gaunt  grey  wolf.  The  cicada  fills  the  air  with  its  mono 
tonous  and  melancholy  notes.  In  all  these  sounds  there  is  a 
breathing,  a  wild  voluptuousness  that  tells  you  you  are  wandering 
in  the  clime  of  the  sun — amidst  scenes  like  those  rendered  classi 
cal  by  the  pen  of  St.  Pierre.  They  who  have  read  the  sweet 
French  romance,  will  recognize  his  faithful  painting  of  tropical 
pictures.  The  sunny  glades  and  shady  arbors — the  broad  green 
and  yellow  leaves — the  tall  palm-trees,  with  their  long,  lazy 
feathers  and  clustering  fruits  waving  to  the  slightest  breeze,  and 

860 


351 

looking  the  same  as  in  that  sea  island  where  they  flung  their 
changing  shadows  over  the  loves  of  Paul  and  Virginia.  Scouting 
at  night,  and  to  strangers  (as  were  Rolfe  and  his  men)  in  the 
land,  was  not  without  its  perils.  Objects  of  alarm  were  near  and 
around.  The  nopal  rose  before  you  like  the  picket  of  an  enemy. 
Its  dark  column  gleaming  under  the  false  light  of  the  moon  is 
certainly  some  sentinel  on  the  outpost.  A  halt  is  the  conse 
quence,  and  silent  and  cat-like  one  of  the  party,  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  steals  nearer  and  nearer,  through  the  thorny  brambles, 
until  the  true  nature  of  the  apparition  betrays  itself,  in  the  shape 
of  a  huge  column  of  prickly  pear.  He  then  returns  to  his  com 
rades,  and  the  obstacle  is  passed,  some  one,  as  he  passes,  with  a 
muttered  curse,  slashing  his  sabre  through  the  soft  trunk  of  the 
harmless  vegetable. 

The  wild  maguey  grasps  you  by  the  leg,  as  though  some 
hideous  monster  had  sprung  from  the  bushes.  You  start  and  rush 
forward,  only  to  be  dragged  back  among  the  elastic  leaves.  It 
is 'useless  to  struggle.  You  must  either  return  and  unwind  your 
self  by  gentle  means,  or  leave  the  better  part  of  your  cloth 
Jnexpressibles  in  the  ruthless  fangs  of  the  plant.  The  ranchero 
fences  his  limbs  with  leather,  or  with  leggings  of  tiger-skin.  It  is 
not  fancy  or  choice  to  wear  leather  breeches  in  Mexico.  Neces 
sity  has  something  to  say  in  fixing  the  fashion  of  your  small 
clothes. 

When  day  broke,  Rolfe  and  his  party  were  ten  miles  from 
camp — ten  miles  from  the  nearest  American  picket,  and  with  only 
thirty  men  !  They  were  concealed  in  a  thicket  of  aloes  and  mns- 
quit.  This  thicket  crowned  the  only  eminence  for  miles  in  any 
direction.  It  commanded  a  view  of  the  whole  country  southward 
to  the  Alvarado. 

As  the  sun  rose  the  forest  echoed  with  sounds  and  song.  The 
leaves  moved  with  life,  as  a  thousand  bright-plumed  birds  flashed 
from  tree  to  tree.  The  green  parrot  screamed  after  his  mate, 
uttering  his  wild  notes  of  endearment.  They  are  seen  in  pairs 
flying  high  up  in  the  heavens.  The  troi^piale  flashed  through  the 
dark  foliage  like  a  ray  of  yellow  light.  Birds  seemed  to  vie  with 


352 

each  other  in  their  songs  of  love.  Amidst  these  sounds  of  the 
forest,  the  ear  of  Rolfe  caught  the  frequent  crowing  of  cocks,  the 
barking  of  dogs,  and  the  other  well-known  sounds  of  the  settlement. 
These  were  heard  upon  all  sides.  It  was  plain  that  the  country 
was  thickly  settled,  though  not  a  house  was  visible  above  the  tree- 
tops.  The  thin  column  of  blue  smoke  as  it  rose  above  the  green 
foliage  proved  the  existence  of  dwellings. 

At  some  distance,  westward,  an  open  pain  lay  like  an  emerald 
lake.  The  woods  that  bordered  it  were  of  a  darker  hue  than  the 
meadow-grass  upon  its  bosom.  In  this  plain  were  horses  feeding, 
and  Rolfe  saw  at  a  glance  that  they  were  picketed.  Some  of 
them  had  dragged  their  laryettes  and  were  straying  from  the 
group.  There  appeared  to  be  in  all  about  a  hundred  horses.  It 
was  plain  that  their  owners  were  not  far  off.  A  thin,  blue  smoke 
that  hung  over  the  trees  on  one  side  of  the  meadow  gave  evidence 
of  a  camp.  The  baying  of  dogs  came  from  this  direction,  min 
gled  with  the  sounds  of  human  voices.  It  was  evidently  a  camp 
of  the  "  Jarochos,"  (guerrilleros). 

Suddenly  a  bugle  sounded,  wild  and  clear  above  the  voices  of 
the  singing-birds,  a  few  notes  somewhat  resembling  the  dragoon 
stable-call.  The  horses  flung  up  their  heads  and  neighed  fiercely, 
looking  towards  the  encampment  Presently  a  crowd  of  men  were 
seen  running  from  the  woods,  each  carrying  a  saddle.  The  few 
strays  that  had  drawn  their  pickets  during  the  night,  came  run 
ning  in  at  the  well-known  voices  of  their  masters.  The  saddles 
were  flung  on  and  tightly  girthed — the  bits  adjusted  and  the  lary 
ettes  coiled  and  hung  to  the  saddle-horns,  in  less  time  than  an 
ordinary  horseman  would  have  put  on  a  bridle.  Another  flourish 
of  the  bugle,  and  the  troop  were  in  their  saddle  and  galloping 
away  over  the  greensward  of  the  meadow  in  a  southerly  direction. 
The  whole  transaction  did  not  occupy  five  minutes,  and  it  seemed 
to  Rolfe  and  his  party,  who  witnessed  it,  more  like  a  dream  than 
a  reality.  The  Jarochos  were  just  out  of  musket  range.  A  long 
shot  might  have  reached  them,  but  even  had  Rolfe  ventured  this, 
it  would  have  been  with  doubtful  propriety.  Rumor  had  fixed 
the  existence  of  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  in  this  neighborhood. 


353 

It  was  supposed  that  at  least  a  thousand  men  were  on  the  Alvarado 
road,  with  the  intention  of  penetrating  our  lines,  with  beeves  for 
the  besieged  Veracruzanos. 

"They  got  off  in  good  time,  sergeant,"  muttered  Rolfe,  "had 
they  but  waited  half  an  hour  longer-^-oh,  for  a  score  of  Harney's 
horses !" 

"  Lieutenant,  may  I  offer  an  opinion  ?"  asked  the  sergeant, 
who  had  raised  himself  and  stood  peering  through  the  leafy 
branches  of  a  cacuchou-tree. 

"  Certainly,  Heiss,  any  suggestion  " — 

"  Wai,  then — thar's  a  town,"  the  sergeant  lifted  one  of  the  leafy 
boughs  and  pointed  towards  the  southeast — a  spire  and  cross — a 
white  wall  and  the  roofs  of  some  cottages  were  seen  over  the  trees. 
"  Raoul,  here,  who's  French,  and  knows  the  place,  says  it's  Madalin 
— he's  been  to  it — and  there's  no  good  road  for  horses  direct 
from  here — but  the  road  from  Very  Cruz  crosses  that  meadow 
far  up — now,  lieutenant,  it's  my  opinion  them  thieving  Mexicans 
is  bound  for  that  'ere  place — Raoul  says  it's  a  good  sweep  round 
— if  we  could  git  acrosst  this  yere  strip  we'd  head  'em  sure." 

The  backwoodsman  swept  his  broad  hand  towards  the  south,  to 
indicate  the  strip  of  woods  that  he  desired  to  cross.  The  plan 
seemed  feasible  enough.  The  town,  although  seemingly  near, 
was  over  five  miles  distant.  The  road  by  which  the  guerrilleros 
had  to  reach  it  was  much  further.  Could  Rolfe  and  his  party 
meet  them  on  this  road,  by  an  ambuscade,  they  would  gain  an 
easy  victory,  although  with  inferior  numbers,  and  Rolfe  wished  to 
carry  back  to  camp  a  Mexican  prisoner.  This  was  the  object  of 
the  scout,  to  gain  information  of  the  force  supposed  to  be  in  the 
rear  of  our  lines.  The  men,  too,  were  eager  for  the  wild  excite 
ment  of  a  fight.  For  what  came  they  there  ? 

"Raoul,"  said  Rolfe,  "is  there  any  path  through  these 
woods  1" 

"  Zar  is,  von  road  I  have  believe — oui — Monsieur  Lieutenant." 

Raoul  was  a  dapper  little  Frenchman,  who  had  joined  the 
army  at  Vera  Cruz,  where  we  found  him.  He  had  been  a  sort 
of  market-gardener  for  the  plaza,  and  kne~v  the  back  country 


854 

perfectly.  He  had  fallen  into  bad  odor  with  the  rancheros  of  the 
Tierra  Caliente,  and  owed  them  no  good-will.  The  coming  of 
the  American  army  had  been  a  perfect  godsend  to  Raoul,  who  was 
now  an  American  volunteer,  and  as  circumstances  afterwards 
proved,  worthy  of  the  title. 

"Close  teccket,  monsieur,"  continued  the  Frenchman,  "but 
there  be  von  road,  I  make  ver  sure,  by  that  tree,  vot  you  call  him, 
big  tree." 

Raoul  pointed  to  some  live-oaks  that  formed  a  dark  belt  across 
the  woods. 

44  Take  the  lead,  Raoul." 

The  little  Frenchman  sprung  out  in  front  and  commenced 
descending  into  the  dark  woods  beneath.  The  party  was  soon 
winding  through  the  shadowy  aisles  of  a  live-oak.  The  woods 
were  at  first  open  and  easy.  After  a  short  march  they  came  to  a 
small  stream,  bright  and  silvery.  But  what  was  the  surprise  of 
Rolfe  to  find  that  the  path  here  gave  out,  and  on  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  rivulet  the  trees  grew  closer  together,  and  the  woods 
were  almost  woven  into  a  solid  mass,  by  the  lianas  and  other 
creeping  plants.  These  were  covered  with  blossoms.  In  some 
places  a  wall  of  snow-white  flowers  rose  up  before  you.  Pyra 
midal  forms  of  foliage,  green  and  yellow,  over  which  hung 
myriads  of  vine-blossoms,  like  a  scarlet  mantle.  Still  there  was 
no  path — at  least  to  be  trodden  by  human  foot.  Birds  flew 
around,  scared  in  their  solitary  haunts.  The  arrnadilla  and  the 
wolf  stood  at  a  distance  with  glaring  eyes.  The  fearful-looking 
guana  scampered  off  upon  the  decaying  limbs  of  the  live-oak,  or 
the  still  more  fearful  cobra  di  capella  glided  almost  noiselessly 
over  the  dry  leaves  and  brambles. 

Raoul  confessed  that  he  had  been  deceived.  He  had  never 
travelled  this  belt  of  timber.  The  path  was  lost. 

This  was  strange.  A  path  had  conducted  them  thus  far,  but  on 
reaching  the  stream  had  suddenly  stopped.  Soldiers  went  up  and 
down  the  water- course,  and  peeped  through  the  trellis  of  vines, 
but  to  no  purpose.  In  all  directions  they  were  met  by  an  impe 
netrable  chaparral. 


355 

Chafing  with  disappointment,  the  young  officer  was  about  to 
retrace  his  way,  when  an  exclamation  from  Heiss  recalled  him. 
The  backwoodsman  had  found  a  clew  to  the  labyrinth.  An  open 
ing  led  into  the  thicket.  This  had  been  concealed  by  a  perfect 
curtain  of  closely  woven  vines,  covered  with  thick  foliage  and 
flowers.  It  appeared  at  first  to  be  a  natural  door  to  the  avenue 
which  led  from  this  spot,  but  a  slight  examination  showed  that 
these  vines  had  been  trained  by  human  hands,  and  that  the  path 
itself  had  been  kept  open  by  the  same  agency.  Branches  were 
here  and  there  lopped  off  and  cast  aside,  and  the  ground  had  the 
marks  of  human  footsteps.  The  track  was  clear  and  beaten,  and 
Rolfe  ordering  his  men  to  follow  noiselessly,  in  Indian  file,  took  the 
lead.  For  at  least  two  miles  they  traced  the  windings  of  this  forest 
road,  through  dark  woods,  occasionally  opening  out  into  green, 
flowery  glades.  The  bright  sky  began  to  gleam  through  the  trees. 
Farther  on  and  the  breaks  became  larger  and  more  frequent.  An 
extensive  clearing  was  near  at  hand.  They  reached  it,  but  to 
their  astonishment,  instead  of  a  cultivated  farm,  which  they  had 
been  expecting  to  see,  the  clearing  had  more  the  appearance  of  a 
vast  flower-garden.  The  roofs  and  turrets  of  a  house  were  visible 
near  its  centre.  The  house  itself  appeared  of  a  strange  oriental 
style,  and  was  buried  amidst  groves  of  the  brightest  foliage. 
Several  huge  old  trees  spread  their  branches  over  the  roof,  and 
their  leaves  hung  around  the  fantastic  turrets. 

What  should  have  been  fields  were  like  a  succession  of  huge 
flower  beds'- — and  large  shrubs,  covered  with  sheets  of  pink  and 
white  blossoms  that  resembled  wild  roses.  This  shrubbery  was 
high  enough  to  conceal  the  approach  of  Rolfe  and  his  party  as 
they  followed  the  path — apparently  the  only  one  which  led  to  the 
house. 

On  nearing  this,  the  officer  halted  his  men  in  a  little  glade,  and 
taking  with  him  Heiss  and  the  boy  Gerry  (who  might  return  for 
the  men  in  case  of  a  surprise),  proceeded  to  reconnoitre  the 
strange-looking  habitation. 

A  wall  of  ivy,  or  some  perennial  vine,  lay  between  him  and 
the  house.  A  curtain  of  green  leaves  covered  the  entrance 


356 

through  this  wall.  This  appeared  to  have  grown  up  by  neglect. 
As  Rolfe  lifted  this  festoon,  to  pass  through,  the  sound  of  female 
voices  greeted  him.  These  voices  reached  his  ear  in  tones  of  the 
lightest  mirth.  At  intervals  came  a  clear  ringing  laugh  from 
some  throat  of  silver,  and  then  a  plunging,  splashing  sound  of 
water.  Rolfe  conjectured  that  some  females  were  in  the  act  of 
bathing,  and  not  wishing  to  intrude  upon  them  sat  down  for  a 
moment  outside  the  wall.  The  sounds  of  merriment  were  still 
heard,  and  among  the  soft  tones  the  officer  imagined  that  he 
could  distinguish  the  coarser  voice  of  a  man.  Curiosity  now 
prompted  him  to  enter.  Moreover,  he  reflected  that  if  there  were 
men  there  already,  there  could  not  be  much  impropriety  in  his 
taking  a  share  in  the  amusement. 

Drawing  aside  the  curtain  of  leaves  he  looked  in.  The 
interior  was  a  garden,  but  evidently  in  a  neglected  state. 
It  appeared  the  ruin  of  a  once  noble  garden  and  shrub 
bery.  Broken  fountains  and  statues  crumbling  among  weeds,  and 
untrained  rose-trees,  met  the  eye.  The  voices  were  more  distinct, 
but  those  who  uttered  them  were  hidden  by  a  hedge  of  jas 
mins.  Rolfe  stepped  silently  np  to  this  hedge  and  peeped 
through  an  opening.  The  picture  presented  was  indeed  an 
enchanting  one. 

A  large  fountain  lay  between  him  and  the  house,  filled  with 
crystal  water.  In  this  fountain  two  young  girls  were  plunging 
and  diving  about  in  the  wildest  abandon  of  mirth.  The  water 
was  not  more  than  waist  deep,  and  the  arms  and  bosoms  of  the 
young  girls  appeared  above  its  surface.  They  were  strikingly 
alike,  in  all  except  colour.  In  this  there  was  a  marked  contrast. 
The  neck,  arms  and  bosom  of  one  seemed  carved  from  snow-white 
marble,  while  the  other's  complexion  was  almost  as  dark  as  maho 
gany.  There  were  the  same  cast  of  features,  the  same  expression 
in  both  countenances,  and  their  forms,  just  emerging  from  the 
slender  figure  of  girlhood,  were  exactly  alike.  Their  long  hair 
trailed  after  them,  black  and  luxuriant,  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  as  they  plunged  and  swam  from  one  side  of  the  basin  to 
the  other.  A  huge  negress  sat  upon  the  edge  of  the  fountain, 


357 

seemingly  enjoying  the  bath  as  much  as  those  who  partook  of  it. 
It  was  the  voice  of  this  negress  that  Rolfe  had  mistaken  for  that 
of  a  man. 

The  young  officer  did  not  hesitate  a  moment,  but  stole  gently 
back  and  regained  his  comrades. 

Then  striking  through  the  flowery  fields  that  stretched  away 
towards  the  woods  in  the  rear,  he  commenced  searching  for  the  path 
that  led  from  the  woods  in  a  direction  opposite  to  that  whence  lie 
had  come,  without  disturbing  the  inmates  of  this  peaceful  mansion. 
Finding  this  path  on  the  other  side,  the  party  entered  and  hastily 
kept  on,  in  order  to  intercept  the  guerrilleros,  whom  they  still 
hoped  to  fall  in  with.  In  these  hopes  they  were  not  disappointed, 
for  emerging  from  the  woods  near  Medellin  they  came  upon  the 
guerrilleros,  with  whom  they  had  a  sharp  skirmish.  Rolfe  and  his 
party  were  successful,  killing  two  of  the  guerrilla  and  taking  the 
same  number  prisoners. 

The  young  girls  continued  their  pleasant  pastime,  little  dream 
ing  how  near  to  them  had  been  these  strange  and  warlike  visi 
tors. 


MEXICAN    JEALOUSY. 

ON  the  15th  of  September,  two  days  after  the  storming  of 
Chapultepec,  a  small  party  of  soldiers,  in  dark  uniforms,  were 
seen  to  issue  from  the  great  gate' of  that  castle,  and,  winding  down 
the  Calzada,  turn  towards  the  city  of  Mexico.  This  occurred  at 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  day  was  very  hot,  and  the  sun, 
glancing  vertically  upon  the  flinty  rocks  that  paved  the  causeway, 
rendered  the  heat  more  oppressive. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  the  party  halted,  taking  advantage  of 
the  shade  of  a  huge  cypress-tree,  to  set  down  a  litera,  which  four 
men  carried  upon  their  shoulders.  This  they  deposited  under  one 
of  the  arches  of  the  aqueduct  in  order  the  better  to  protect  its 
occupant  from  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  occupant  of  the  litera  was  a  wounded  man,  and  the  pale 
and  bloodless  cheek,  and  fevered  eye  showed  that  his  wound  was 
not  a  slight  one.  There  was  nothing  around  to  denote  his  rank, 
but  the  camp  cloak,  of  dark  blue,  and  the  crimson  sash,  which  lay 
upon  the  litera,  showed  that  the  wounded  man  was  an  officer. 
The  sash  had  evidently  been  saturated  with  blood,  which  was  now 
dried  upon  it,  leaving  parts  of  it  shrivelled  like,  and  of  a  darker 
shade  of  crimson.  It  had  staunched  the  life-blood  of  its  wearer 
upon  the  13th.  The  soldiers  stood  around  the  litter,  their  bronzed 
faces  turned  upon  its  occupant,  apparently  attentive  to  his  requests. 
There  was  something  in  the  gentle  care  with  which  these  rude 
men  seemed  to  wait  upon  the  young  officer,  that  bespoke  the 
existence  of  a  stronger  feeling  than  mere  humanity.  There  was 
that  admiration  which  the  brave  soldiers  feel  for  him  who  has  led 
them  in  the  field  of  battle,  at  their  head.  That  small  group  were 
among  the  first  who  braved  the  frowning  muzzles  of  the  cannon 

853 


359 

upon  the  parapets  of  Chapultepec.  The  wounded  officer  had  led 
them  to  those  parapets. 

The  scene  around  exhibited  the  usual  indications  of  a  recent 
field  of  battle.  There  were  batteries  near,  with  dismounted  can 
non,  broken  carriages,  fragments  of  shells,  dead  horses,  whose 
riders  lay  by  them,  dead  too,  and  still  unburied.  Parties  were 
strolling  about,  busied  with  this  sad  duty,  but  heaps  of  mangled 
carcasses  still  lay  above  ground,  exhibiting  the  swollen  limbs  and 
distorted  features  of  decomposition.  The  atmosphere  was  heavy 
with  the  disagreeable  odor,  and  the  wounded  man,  turning  upon 
his  pillow,  gently  commanded  the  escort  to  proceed.  Four  stout 
soldiers  again  took  up  the  litera,  and  the  party  moved  slowly 
along  the  aqueduct,  towards  the  Garita  Belen.  The  little  escort 
halted  at  intervals  for  rest  and  to  change  bearers.  The  fine  trees 
that  line  the  great  aqueduct  on  the  Tacubaya  road,  though  much 
torn  and  mangled  by  the  cannonade  of  the  13th,  afforded  a  fine 
shelter  from  the  hot  sunbeams.  In  two  hours  after  leaving  the 
Chapultepec,  the  escort  entered  the  Garita  Belen,  passed  up  the 
Paseo  Nuevo,  and  halted  in  front  of  the  Alameda. 

Any  one  who  has  visited  the  city  of  Mexico  will  recollect,  that 
opposite  the  Alameda,  on  its  southern  front,  is  a  row  of  fine 
houses,  which  continue  on  to  the  Calle  San  Francisco,  and  thence 
to  the  Great  Plaza,  forming  the  Calles  Correo,  Plateros,  etc. 
These  streets  are  inhabited  principally  by  foreigners,  particularly 
that  of  Plateros,  which  is  filled  with  Frenchmen.  To  prevent 
their  houses  from  being  entered  by  the  American  soldiery,  upon 
the  14th,  the  windows  were  filled  with  national  flags,  indicating 
to  what  nation  the  respective  owners  of  the  houses  belonged. 
There  were  Belgians,  French,  English,  Prussians,  Spanish,  Danes, 
and  Austrians — in  fact,  every  kind  of  flag.  Mexican  flags  alone 
were  not  to  be  seen.  Where  these  should  have  been,  at  times, 
the  white  flag — the  banner  of  peace — hung  through  the  iron  rail 
ings,  or  from  the  balcony.  In  front  of  a  house  that  bore  this 
simple  ensign,  the  escort,  with  the  litera,  had  accidentally  stopped. 

The  eye  of  the  wounded  officer  rested  mechanically  upon  the 
little  flag  over  his  head,  when  his  attention  was  arrested  by  notio- 


360 

ing  that  this  consisted  of  a  small,  white  lace  handkerchief,  hand 
somely  embroidered  upon  the  corners,  and  evidently  such  as 
belonged  to  some  fair  being.  Though  suffering  from  the  agony 
of  his  wound,  there  was  something  so  attractive  in  this  discovery, 
that  the  eyes  of  the  invalid  were  immediately  turned  upon  the 
window,  or  rather  grating,  from  which  the  flag  was  suspended, 
and  his  countenance  changed  at  once,  from  the  listless  apathy  of 
pain  to  an  expression  of  eager  interest.  A  young  girl  was  in  the 
window,  leaning  her  forehead  against  the  reja,  or  grating,  and 
looking  down  with  more  of  painful  interest  than  curiosity  upon 
the  pale  face  beneath  her.  It  was  the  window  of  the  entresol, 
slightly  raised  above  the  street,  and  the  young  girl  herself  was 
evidently  of  that  class  known  to  the  aristocracy  of  Mexico  as  the 
"  leperos."  She  was  tastefully  dressed,  however,  in  the  picturesque 
costume  of  her  class  and  country,  and  her  beautiful  black  hair,  her 
dark  Indian  eye,  the  half  olive,  half  carmine  tinge  upon  her  soft 
cheek,  formed  a  countenance  at  once  strange,  and  strikingly  beau 
tiful.  Her  neck,  bosom,  and  shoulders,  seen  over  the  window- 
stone,  were  of  that  form  which  strikes  you  as  possessing  more  of 
the  oval  than  the  rotund — in  short,  the  model  of  the  perfect 
woman. 

On  seeing  the  gaze  of  the  wounded  man  so  intently  fixed  upon 
her,  the  young  girl  blushed,  and  drew  back.  The  officer  felt  dis 
appointed  and  sorry,  as  one  feels  when  the  light,  or  a  beautiful 
object  is  suddenly  removed  from  his  sight;  still,  however,  keeping 
his  eyes  intently  fixed  upon  the  window,  as  though  unable  to 
unrivet  his  gaze.  This  continued  for  some  moments,  when  a 
beautiful  arm  was  plunged  through  the  iron  grating,  holding  in  the 
most  delicate  little  fingers  a  glass  of  pinal. 

A  soldier  stepped  up,  and  taking  the  proffered  glass,  held  it  to 
the  lips  of  the  wounded  officer,  who  gladly  drank  of  the  cool  and 
refreshing  beverage,  without  being  able  to  thank  the  fair  donor, 
who  had  withdrawn  her  hand  at  parting  with  the  glass.  The  glass 
was  held  up  to  the  window,  but  the  hand  that  clutched  it  was 
coarse  and  large,  and  evidently  that  of  a  man.  A  muttered  curse, 
too,  in  the  Spanish  language,  was  heard  to  proceed  from  within. 


361 

This  was  heard  but  indistinctly.  The  invalid  gazed  at  the  window 
for  some  minutes,  expecting  the  return  of  the  beautiful  apparition, 
then  as  if  he  had  given  up  all  hope,  he  called  out  a  "  gracias 
adios !"  and  ordered  the  escort  to  move  on.  The  soldiers,  once 
in  ore  shouldering  the  litera,  passed  up  the  Calle  Correo,  and 
entered  the  Hotel  Oompagnon,  in  the  street  of  Espiritu  Santo. 

For  two  months  the  invalid  was  confined  to  his  chamber,  but 
often,  during  that  time,  both  waking  and  dreaming,  the  face  of 
the  beautiful  Mexican  girl  would  flit  across  his  fevered  fancy. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  his  surgeon  gave  him  permission  to  ride 
oat  in  an  easy  carriage.  He  was  driven,  to  the  Alameda,  where 
he  ordered  the  carriage  to  halt  under  the  shade  of  its  beautiful 
trees,  and  directly  in  front  of  the  spot  where  he  had  rested  on 
entering  the  city.  He  recognized  the  little  window.  The  white 
flag  was  not  now  there,  and  he  could  see  nothing  of  the  inmates. 
He  remained  a  considerable  time  seated  in  the  carriage,  gazing 
upon  the  house,  but  no  face  appeared  at  the  cold  iron  grating,  no 
smile  to  cheer  his  vigil.  Tired  and  disappointed,  he  ordered  his 
carriage  to  be  driven  back  to  the  hotel. 

Next  day  he  repeated  the  mano3uvre,  and  the  next,  and  the 
next,  with  a  like  success.  Probably  he  had  not  chosen  the  proper 
time  of  day.  It  was  certainly  not  the  hour  when  the  lovely  faces 
of  the  Mexican  women  appear  on  their  balconies.  This  reflection 
induced  him  to  change  the  hour,  and,  upon  the.  day  following,  he 
ordered  the  carriage  in  the  evening.  Just  before  twilight,  it  drew 
up  as  usual  under  the  tall  trees  of  the  Alameda.  Imagine  tho 
delight  of  the  young  officer,  at  seeing  the  face  of  the  beautiful 
Mexican  through  the  gratings  of  the  reja. 

The  stir  made  by  the  stopping  of  the  carriage  had  attracted 
her.  The  uniform  of  its  inmate  was  the  next  object  of  her  atten 
tion,  but  when  her  eyes  fell  upon  the  face  of  the  wearer,  a  strange 
expression  came  over  her  countenance,  as  if  she  were  struggling 
with  some  indistinct  recollections,  and  all  at  once  that  beautiful 
countenance  was  suffused  with  a  smile  of  joy.  She  had  recog 
nized  the  officer.  The  latter,  who  had  been  an  anxious  observer 
of  every  change  of  expression,  smiled  in  return,  and  bowed  an 

32 


362 

acknowledgment,  then  turning  to  his  servant,  who  was  a  Mexi 
can,  he  told  him  in  Spanish,  to  approach  the  window,  and  offer 
his  thanks  to  the  young  lady  for  her  act  of  kindness  upon  the  15th 
of  September. 

The  servant  delivered  the  message,  and  shortly  afterwards  the 
carnage  drove  off.  For  several  evenings  the  same  carriage  might 
be  seen  standing  under  the  trees  of  the  Alarneda.  An  interesting 
acquaintance  had  been  established  between  the  young  officer  and 
the  Mexican  girl.  About  a  week  afterwards,  and  the  carriage 
appeared  no  more.  The  invalid  had  been  restored  to  perfect 
strength. 

December  came,  and  upon  the  15th  of  this  month,  about  half  an 
hour  before  twilight,  an  American  officer,  wrapped  in  a  light, 
Mexican  cloak,  passed  down  the  Calle  San  Francisco,  and  crossed 
into  the  Alameda.  Here  he  stopped,  leaning  against  a  tree,  as 
though  observing  the  various  groups  of  citizens,  who  passed  in 
their  picturesque  dresses.  His  eye,  however,  was  occasionally 
turned  upon  the  houses  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and 
with  a  glance  of  stealthy,  but  eager  inquiry.  At  length  the  well- 
known  form  of  the  beautiful  "lepera"  appeared  at  the  window, 
who,  holding  up  her  hand,  adroitly  signalled  the  officer  with  her 
taper,  fan-like  fingers.  The  signal  was  -answered.  She  had 
scarcely  withdrawn  her  hand  inside  the  reja  when  a  dark,  scowling 
face  made  its  appearance  at  her  side,  her  hand  was  rudely  seized, 
and  with  a  scream  she  disappeared.  The  young  officer  fancied  he 
saw  the  bright  gleam  of  a  stiletto  within  the  gloomy  grating. 

He  rushed  across  the  street,  and  in  a  moment  stood  beneath 
the  window.  Grasping  the  strong  iron  bars,  he  lifted  himself  up 
so  as  to  command  a  view  of  the  inside,  which  was  now  in  perfect 
silence.  His  horror  may  be  imagined  when,  on  looking  into  the 
room  he  saw  the  young  girl  stretched  upon  the  floor,  and,  to  all 
appearance,  dead.  A  stream  of  blood  was  running  from  beneath 
her  clothes,  and  her  dress  was  stained  with  blood  over  the  waist 
and  bosom.  With  frantic  energy  the  young  man  clung  to  the 
bars,  and  endeavored  to  wrench  them  apart.  It  was  to  no  pur- 
pos-s,  and  letting  go  his  hold,  he  dropped  into  the  street.  The 


363 

large  gate  of  the  house  was  open.  Into  this  he  rushed,  and 
reached  the  patio  just  in  time  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  figure 
escaping  along  the  azotea.  He  rushed  up  the  steep  stone  stair 
way,  and  grasping  the  parapet,  raised  himself  on  the  roof.  The 
fugitive  had  run  along  a  series  of  platforms  of  different  heights, 
composed  by  the  azoteas  of  houses,  and  had  reached  a  low  roof 
from  which  he  was  about  to  leap  into  an  adjoining  street,  where 
he  would,  in  all  probability,  have  made  good  his  escape.  He 
stood  upon  the  edge  of  the  parapet,  calculating  his  leap,  which  was 
still  a  fearful  plunge.  It  was  not  left  to  his  choice  whether  to 
take  or  refuse  it.  A  pistol  flashed  behind  him,  and  almost  simul 
taneously  with  the  report  he  fell  forward  upon  his  head,  and  lay 
upon  the  pavement  below,  a  bruised  and  bleeding  corpse.  His 
pursuer  approached  the  parapet,  and  looked  over  into  the  street, 
as  if  to  assure  himself,  that  his  aim  had  been  true,  then  turned 
with  a  fearful  foreboding,  and  retraced  his  way  over  the  azotea*, 
His  fears,  alas !  were  but  too  just.  She  was  dead. 


A  CAMPAIGN  IN  TEXAS. 

"  i  •  SITING  of  citizens," — so  ran  the  announcement  that,  on 
the  naming  of  the  llth  October,  1835,  was  seen  posted,  in  letters 
a  foot  h?gh,  at  the  corner  of  every  street  in  New  Orleans — "  a 
meeting  cf  citizens  this  evening,  at  eight  o'clock,  in  the  Arcade 
Coffee-house.  It  concerns  the  freedom  and  sovereignty  of  a  peo 
ple  in  whose  veins  the  blood  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  flows.  Texas, 
the  prairie- land,  has  risen  in  arms  against  the  tyrant  Santa  Anna 
and  the  greedy  despotism  of  the  Romish  priesthood,  and  implores 
the  assistance  of  tho  citizens  of  the  Union.  We  have  therefore 
convoked  an  hsecmbly  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  city,  and  trust  to 
see  it  numerously  attended. 

UTHE   COMMITTEE    TOR   TEXAS." 

The  extensive  and  fertile  province  of  Texas  had,  up  to  the  period 
of  Mexico's  separation  from  Spain,  been  utterly  neglected.  Situ 
ated  at  the  northeastern  extremity  of  the  vast  Mexican  empire, 
and  exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  Comanches,  and  other  warlike 
tribes,  it  contained  but  a  scanty  population  of  six  thousand  souls, 
who,  for  safety's  sake,  collected  together  in  a  few  towns,  and  forti 
fied  mission-houses,  and  even  there  were  compelled  to  purchase 
security  bystribute  to  the  Indians.  It  was  but  a  very  short  time 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  revolution,  that  the  Spaniards 
began  to  turn  their  attention  to  Texas,  and  to  encourage  emigra 
tion  from  the  United  States.  The  rich 'soil,  the  abundance  of 
game,  the  excellence  of  the  climate,  were  irresistible  inducements ; 
and  soon  hundreds  of  hardy  back-woodsmen  crossed  the  Sabine, 
with  their  families  and  worldly  goods,  and  commenced  the  work 
of  colonization.  Between  the  iron-fisted  Yankees  and  the  indolent 
cowardly  Mexicans,  the  Indian  marauders  speedily  discovered  the 

864 


365 

difference ;  instead  of  tribute  and  unlimited  submission,  they  wero 
now  received  with  rifle-bullets  and  stern  resistance;  gradually 
they  ceased  their  aggressions,  and  Texas  became  comparatively  a 
secure  residence. 

The  Mexican  revolution  broke  out  and  triumphed,  and  at  first 
the  policy  of  the  new  government  was  favorable  to  the  Americans 
in  Texas,  whose  numbers  each  day  increased.  But  after  a  time, 
several  laws,  odious  and  onerous  to  the  settlers,  were  passed ;  and 
various  disputes  and  partial  combats  with  the  Mexican  garrisons 
occurred.  When  Santa  Anna  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  libe 
ral  party  in  Mexico,  the  Texians  gladly  raised  his  banner ;  but 
they  soon  discovered  that  the  change  was  to  prove  of  little  advan 
tage  to  them.  Santa  Anna's  government  showed  a  greater  jea 
lousy  of  the  American  settlers  than  any  previous  one  had  done  ; 
their  prayer,  that  the  province  they  had  colonized  might  be 
erected  into  a  state  of  the  Mexican  union,  was  utterly  disregarded, 
and  its  bearer,  Stephen  F.  Austin,  detained  in  prison  at  Mexico ; 
various  citizens  were  causelessly  arrested,  and  numerous  other  acts 
of  injustice  committed.  At  last,  in  the  summer  of  1835,  Austin 
procured  his  release,  and  returned  to  Texas,  where  he  was  joy  fully 
received  by  the  aggrieved  colonists.  Presently  arrived  large  bo 
dies  of  troops,  under  the  Mexican  general,  Cos,  destined  to 
strengthen  the  Texian  garrisons ;  and  at  the  same  time  came  a 
number  of  ordinances,  as  ridiculous  as  they  were  unjust.  One  of 
these  ordered  the  Texians  to  give  up  their  arms,  only  retaining 
one  gun  for  every  five  plantations  ;  another  forbade  thex  building 
of  churches.  The  tyranny  of  such  edicts,  and  the  positive  cruelty 
of  the  first  named,  in  a  country  surrounded  by  tribes  of  Indian 
robbers,  are  too  evident  to  require  comment.  The  Texians, 
although  they  were  but  twenty-seven  thousand  against  eight  mil 
lions,  at  once  resolved  to  resist ;  and  to  do  so  with  greater  effect, 
they  sent  deputies  to  the  United  States,  to  crave  assistance  in  the 
struggle  about  to  commence. 

The  summons  of  the  Texian  committee  of  New  Orleans  to  their 
fellow-citizens  was  enthusiastically  responded  to.  At  the  ap 
pointed  hour,  the  immense  Arcade  Coffee-house  was  thronged  to 

32* 


366 

the  roof ;  speeches  in  favor  of  Texian  liberty  were  made  and, ap 
plauded  to  the  echo ;  and  two  lists  were  opened — one  for  subscrip 
tions,  the  other  for  the  names  of  those  who  were  willing  to  lend  the 
aid  of  their  arms  to  their  oppressed  fellow-countrymen.  Before  the 
meeting  separated,  ten  thousand  dollars  were  subscribed ;  and  on 
the  following  afternoon,  the  steamer  Washita  ascended  the  Mis 
sissippi  with  the  first  company  of  volunteers.  These  had  ran 
sacked  the  tailors'  shops  for  grey  clothing,  such  being  the  color 
best  suited  to  the  prairie,  and  thence  they  received  the  name  of 
"  The  Greys ;"  their  arms  were  rifles,  pistols,  and  the  far-famed 
bowie-knife.  The  day  after  their  departure,  a  second  company  of 
Greys  set  sail,  but  went  round  by  sea  to  the,  Texian  coast ;  and 
the  third  installment  of  these  ready  volunteers  was  the  company 
of  Tampico  Blues,  who  took  ship  for  the  port  of  Tampico.  The 
three  companies  consisted  of  Americans,  English,  French,  and 
several  Germans.  Six  of  the  latter  nation  were  to  be  found  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Greys ;  and  one  of  them,  a  Prussian,  of  the  name 
of  Ehrenberg,  who  appears  to  have  been  for  some  time  an  inhabi 
tant  of  the  United  States,  and  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the 
country,  its  people,  their  language  and  peculiarities,  survived,  in 
one  instance  by  a  seeming  miracle,  the  many  desperate  fights  and 
bloody  massacres  that  occurred  during  the  short  but  severe  con 
flict  for  Texian  independence,  in  which  nearly  the  whole  of  his 
comrades  were  slain.  He  has  recently  published  an  account  of 
the  campaign  ;  and  his  narrative,  highly  characteristic  and  cir 
cumstantial,  derives  a  peculiar  interest  from  his  details  of  the  de 
feats  suffered  by  the  Texians,  before  they  could  succeed  in  shaking 
off  the  Mexican  yoke.  Of  their  victories,  and  especially  of  the 
crowning  one  at  San  Jacinto,  various  accounts  have  already  ap 
peared  ;  but  the  history  of  their  reverses,  although  not  less  inter 
esting,  is  far  less  known  ;  for  the  simple  reason,  that  the  Mexicans 
gave  no  quarter  to  those  whom  they  styled  rebels,  and  that  the 
defeat  of  a  body  of  Texians  was  almost  invariably  followed  by  its 
extermination. 

Great  was  the  enthusiasm,  and  joyful  the  welcome,  with  which 
the  Texian  colonists  received  the  first  company  of  volunteers,  when, 


367 

under  the  command  of  Captain  Breece,  they  landed  from  their 
steamboat  upon  the  southern  bank  of  the  river  Sabine.  No 
sooner  had  they  set  foot  on  shore,  than  a  flag  of  blue  silk,  em 
broidered  with  the  words,  "  To  the  first  company  of  Texian  volun 
teers  from  New  Orleans,"  was  presented  to  them  in  the  name  of 
the  women  of  Texas;  the  qualification  of.  Texian  citizens  was  con 
ferred  upon  them;  every  house  was  placed  at  their  disposal  for 
quarters  ;  and  banquets  innumerable  were  prepared  in  their  honor. 
But  the  moment  was  critical — time  was  too  precious  to  be  expend 
ed  in  feasts  and  merry-making,  and  they  pressed  onwards.  A  two 
days'  march  brought  them  to  San  Augustin,  two  more  to  Nacog- 
doches,  and  thence,  after  a  short  pause,  tbey  set  out  on  their  jour 
ney  of  five  hundred  miles  to  St.  Antonio,  where  they  expected 
first  to  burn  powder.  Nor  were  they  deceived  in  their  expecta 
tions.  They  found  the  Texian  militia  encamped  before  the  town, 
which,  as  well  as  its  adjacent  fort  of  the  Alamo,  was  held  by  the 
Mexicans ;  the  Texians  were  besieging  it  in  the  best  manner  their 
imperfect  means  and  small  numbers  would  permit.  An  amusing 
account  is  given  by  Mr.  Ehrenberg  of  the  camp  and  proceedings 
of  the  besieging  force  : 

We  had  arrived  late  in  the  night,  and  at  sunrise  a  spectacle 
offered  itself  to  us,  totally  different  from  anything  we  had  ever 
before  beheld.  To  our  left  flowed  the  river  St.  Antonio,  which, 
although  it  rises  but  a  few  miles  from  the  town  of  the  same  name, 
is  already,  on  reaching  the  latter,  six  or  eight  feet  deep,  anfl 
eighteen  or  twenty  yards  broad.  It  here  describes  a  curve,  in 
closing  a  sort  of  promontory  or  peninsula,  at  the  commencement 
of  which,  up-stream,  the  Texian  camp  was  pitched.  At  the  oppo 
site  or  lower  extremity,  but  also  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river, 
was  the  ancient  town  of  St.  Antonio,  hidden  from  the  camp  by 
the  thick  wood  that  fringes  the  banks  of  all  Texian  streams.  Be 
tween  us  and  the  town  was  a  maize-field,  a  mile  long,  and  at  that 
time  lying  fallow;  opposite  to  the  field,  on  the  left  bank, and  only 
separated  from  the  town  by  the  river,  stood  the  Alamo,  the  prin 
cipal  fortress  of  the  province  of  Texas.  The  camp  itself  extended 
over  a  space  of  half  a  mile  in  length,  surrounded  by  maize-fields 


368 

and  prairie,  the  latter  sprinkled  with  muskeet  thickets,  and  with 
groups  of  gigantic  cactuses ;  in  the  high  grass  between  which  the 
horses  and  oxen  of  our  troops  were  peaceably  grazing.  On  enter 
ing  the  adjacent  fields,  the  air  was  instantly  darkened  by  millions 
<J  blackbirds,  which  rose  like  a  cloud  from  the  ground,  described 
a  few  circles,  and  then  again  settled,  to  seek  their  food  upon 
the  earth.  In  one  field,  which  had  been  used  as  a  place  of 
slaughter  for  the  cattle,  whole  troops  of  vultures,  of  various  kinds, 
were  stalking  about  amongst  the  offal,  or  sitting  with  open  beaks 
and  wings  outspread,  upon  the  dry  branches  of  the  neighboring 
pecan-trees,  warming  themselves  in  the  sun-beams,  no  bad  type 
of  the  Mexicans ;  whilst  here  and  there,  a  solitary  wolf  or  prairie 
dog  prowled  amongst  the  heads,  hides,  and  entrails  of  the  slaugh 
tered  beasts,  taking  his  breakfast  as  deliberately  as  his  human 
neighbors.  The  reveille  had  sounded,  and  the  morning  gun  been 
fired  from  the  Alamo,  when  presently  the  drum  beat  to  summon 
the  various  companies  to  roll-call ;  and  the  men  were  seen  emerg 
ing  from  their  tents  and  huts.  It  will  give  some  idea  of  the  inter 
nal  organization  of  the  Texian  army;  if  I  record  the  proceedings 
of  the  company  that  lay  opposite  to  us,  the  soldiers  composing 
which  were  disturbed  by  the  tap  of  the  drum  in  the  agreeable  oc 
cupation  of  cooking  their  breakfast.  This  consisted  of  pieces  of 
beef,  which  they  roasted  at  the  fire  on  small  wooden  spits.  Soon 
a  row  of  these  warriors,  some  only  half-dressed,  stood  before  the 
sergeant,  who,  with  the  roll  of  the  company  in  his  hand,  was  wait 
ing  their  appearance ;  they  were  without  their  rifles,  instead  of 
which,  most  of  them  carried  a  bowie-knife  in  one  hand,  and  a 
skewer,  transfixing  a  lump  of  smoking  meat,  in  the  other.  Seve 
ral  did  not  think  proper  to  obey  the  summons  at  all,  their  roast 
not  being  yet  in  a  state  that  permitted  them  to  leave  it.  At  last 
the  sergeant  began  to  call  the  names,  which  were  answered  to 
alternately  from  the  ranks  or  from  some  neighboring  fire,  and 
once  a  sleepy  "  here !"  proceeding  from  under  the  canvas  of  a  tent 
caused  a  hearty  laugh  amongst  the  men,  and  made  the  sergeant 
look  sulky,  although  he  passed  it  over  as  if  it  were  no  unusua* 
occurrence.  When  all  tho  names  had  been  called,  he  had  nc 


369 

occasion  to  dismiss  his  men,  for  each  of  them,  after  answering,  had 
returned  to  the  fire  and  his  breakfast. 

We  Greys,  particularly  the  Europeans,  looked  at  each  other, 
greatly  amused  by  this  specimen  of  Texian  military  discipline. 
We  ourselves,  it  is  true,  up  to  this  time,  had  never  even  had  the 
roll  called,  but  had  been  accustomed,  as  soon  as  the  reveille 
sounded,  to  get  our  breakfast,  and  then  set  forward  in  a  body,  or 
by  twos  and  threes,  trotting,  walking,  or  galloping,  as  best  pleased 
us.  Only  in  one  respect  were  we  very  particular ;  namely,  that 
the  quartermaster  and  two  or  three  men,  should  start  an  hour  be 
fore  us,  to  warn  the  inhabitants  of  our  approach,  and  get  food 
and  quarters  ready  for  our  arrival.  If  we  did  not  find  everything 
prepared,  and  it  was  the  quartermaster's  fault,  he  was  reduced 
to  the  ranks,  as  were  also  any  of  the  other  officers  who  misbe 
haved  themselves.  I  must  observe,  however,  that  we  were  never 
obliged  to  break  either  of  our  captains ;  for  both  Breece  of  ours, 
and  Captain  Cook  of  the  other  company  of  Greys,  made  themselves 
invariably  beloved  and  respected.  Cook  has  since  risen  to  the 
rank  of  major-general,  and  is,  or  was  the  other  day,  quartermaster- 
general  of  the  republic  of  Texas. 

Towards  nine  o'clock,  a  party  crossed  the  field  between  our 
camp  and  the  town,  to  reinforce  a  small  redoubt  erected  by 
Cook's  Greys,  and  provided  with  two  cannon,  which  were  continu 
ally  thundering  against  the  Alamo,  and  from  time  to  time  knock 
ing  down  a  fragment  of  wall.  The  whole  affair  seemed  like  a 
party  of  pleasure,  and  every  telling  shot  was  hailed  with  shouts  of 
applause.  Meanwhile,  the  enemy  were  not  idle,  but  kept  up  a 
fire  from  eight  or  nine  pieces,  directed  against  the  redoubt,  the 
balls  and  canister  ploughing  up  the  ground  in  every  direction, 
and  driving  clouds  of  dust  towards  the  camp.  It  was.no  joke  to 
get  over  the  six  or  eight  hundred  yards  that  intervened  between 
the  latter  and  the  redoubt,  for  there  was  scarcely  any  cover,  and 
the  Mexican  artillery  was  far  better  served  than  ours.  Neverthe 
less,  the  desire  to  obtain  a  full  view  of  the  Alamo,  which,  from 
the  redoubt,  presented  an  imposing  appearance,  induced  eight 
i,  including  myself,  to  take  a  start  across  the  field.  It  seemed 


370 

as  if  the  enemy  had  pointed  at  us  every  gun  in  the  fort ;  the  bul 
lets  fell  around  us  like  hail,  and  for  a  moment  the  blasting  tem 
pest  compelled  us  to  take  refuge  behind  a  pecan-tree.  Here  we 
stared  at  each  other,  and  laughed  heartily  at  the  absurd  figure  we 
cut,  standing,  eight  men  deep,  behind  a  nut  tree,  whilst  our  com 
rades,  both  in  the  camp  and  the  redoubt,  shouted  with  laughter 
at  every  discharge  that  rattled  amongst  the  branches  over  our 
heads. 

4  This  is  what  you  call  making  war,"  said  one  of  our  party, 
Thomas  Camp  by  name. 

"  And  that,"  said  another,  as  a  whole  swarm  of  iron  musquitoes 
buzzed  by  him,  "  is  what  we  Americans  call  variations  on  Yankee 
Doodle." 

Just  then  there  was  a'  tremendous  crash  among  the  branches, 
and  we  dashed  out  from  our  cover,  and  across  to  the  redoubt, 
only  just  in  time  ;  for  the  next  moment  the  ground  on  which  we 
had  been  standing  was  strewn  with  the  heavy  boughs  of  the  pecan- 
tree. 

All  was  life  and  bustle  in  the  little  redoubt; -the  men  were 
standing  round  the  guns,  talking  and  joking,  and  taking  it  by 
turns  to  have  a  shot  at  the  old  walls.  Before  firing,  each  man 
was  compelled  to  name  his  mark,  and  say  what  part  of  the  Alamo 
he  meant  to  demolish,  and  then  bets  were  made  as  to  his  success 
or  failure. 

"A  hundred,  rifle-bullets  to  twenty,"  cried  one  man,  "that  I  hit 
between  the  third  and  fourth  windows  of  the  barracks." 

"  Done !"  cried  half  a  dozen  voices.  The  shot  was  fired,  and 
the  clumsy  artilleryman  had  to  cast  bullets  all  next  day. 

"  My  pistols — the  best  in  camp,  by  the  by" — exclaimed  another 
aspirant,  "  against  the  worst  in  the  redoubt." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  reckon  I  may  venture,"  said  a  hard-featured  back 
woodsman  in  a  green  hunting-shirt,  whose  pistols,  if  not  quite  so 
good  as  those  wagered,  were  at  any  rate  the  next  best.  Away 
flew  the  ball,  and  the  pistols  of  the  unlucky  marksman  were  trans 
ferred  to  Green-shirt,  who  generously  drew  forth  his  own,  and 
handed  them  to  the  loser. 


371 

"  Well,  comrade,  s'pose  1  must  give  you  yer  revenge.  If  I  don't 
hit,  you'll  have  your  pistols  back  again." 

The  cannon  was  reloaded,  and  the  backwoodsman  squinted 
along  it,  as  ii'  it  had  been  his  own  rifle,  his  features  twisted  up 
into  a  mathematical  calculation,  and  his  right  hand  describing  in 
the  air  all  manner  of  geometrical  figures.  At  last  he  was  ready  ; 
one  more  squint  along  the  gun,  the  match  was  applied,  and  the 
explosion  took  place.  The  rattle  of  the  stones  warned  us  that  the 
ball  had  taken  effect.  When  the  smoke  cleared  away,  we  looked 
in  vain  for  the  third  and  fourth  windows,  and  a  tremendous  hurra 
burst  forth  for  old  Deaf  Smith,  as  he  was  called,  for  the  bravest 
Texian  who  ever  hunted  across  a  prairie,  and  who  subse 
quently,  with  a  small  corps  of  observation,  did  such  good  service 
on  the  Mexican  frontier  between  Nueces  and  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  restless  and  impetuous  Yankee  volunteers  were  not  long  in 
finding  opportunities  of  distinction.  Some  Mexican  sharpshooters 
having  come  down  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  whence  they 
fired  into  the  redoubt,  were  repelled  by  a  handful  of  the  Greys, 
who  then,  carried  away  by  their  enthusiasm,  drove  in  the  enemy's 
outposts,  and  entered  the  suburbs  of  tne  town.  They  got  too  far, 
and  were  in  imminent  risk  of  being  overpowered  by  superior  num 
bers,  when  Deaf  Smith  came  to  their  rescue  with  a  party  of  their 
comrades.  Several  days  passed  away  in  skirmishing,  without  any 
decisive  assault  being  made  upon  the  town  or  fort.  The  majority  of 
the  men,. were  for  attacking;  but  some  of  the  leaders  opposed  it, 
and  wished  to  retire  into  winter  quarters  in  rear  of  the  Guadalupe 
River,  wait  for  further  reinforcements  from  the  States,  and  then,  in 
the  spring,  again  advance  and  carry  St.  Antonio  by  a  coup  demain 
To  an  army,  in  whose  ranks  subordination  and  discipline  were 
scarcely  known,  and  where  every  man  thought  his  opinion  as 
worthy  to  be  listened  to  as  that  of  the  general,  a  difference  of 
opinion  was  destruction.  The  Texian  militia,  disgusted  with  their 
leader,  Burleson,  retreated  in  straggling  parties  across  the  Guada 
lupe  ;  about  four  hundred  men,  consisting  chiefly  of  the  volunteers 
from  New  Orleans  and  the  Mississippi,  remained  behind,  besieg 
ing  St.  Antonio,  of  which  the  garrison  was  nearly  two  thousand 


372 

strong.  The  four  hundred  melted  away,  little  by  little,  to  two  him 
dred  and  ten ;  but  these  held  good,  and  resolved  to  attack  the, 
town.  They  did  so,  and  took  it,  house  by  house,  with  small  loss 
to  themselves,  and  a  heavy  one  to  the  Mexicans.  On  the  sixth 
day,  the  garrison  of  the  Alamo,  which  was  commanded  by  Gene 
ral  Cos,  and  which  the  deadly  Texian  rifles  had  reduced  to  little 
more  than  half  its  original  numbers,  capitulated.  After  laying 
down  their  arms,  they  were  allowed  to  retire  beyond  the  Rio 
Grande.  Forty-eight  pieces  of  cannon,  four  thousand  muskets 
and  a  quantity  of  military  stores,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Tex- 
ians,  whose  total  loss  amounted  to  six  men  dead,  and  twenty-nine 
wounded. 

After  two  or  three  weeks'  sojourn  at  St.  Antonio,  it  was  deter 
mined  to  advance  upon  Matamoras ;  and  on  the  30th  December 
the  volunteers  set  out,  leaving  a  small  detachment  to  garrison  the 
Alamo.  The  advancing  column  was  commanded  by  Colonel 
Johnson ;  but  its  real  leader,  although  he  declined  accepting  a  de 
finite  command,  was  Colonel  Grant,  a  Scotchman,  who  had  for 
merly  held  a  commission  in  a  Highland  regiment,  but  had  now 
been  for  many  years  resident  in  Mexico.  On  reaching  the  little 
fort  ofGoliad,.near  the  town  of  La  Bahia,  which  had  a  short  time 
previously  been  taken  by  a  few  Texians  under  Deinmit,  they 
halted,  intending  to  wait  for  reinforcements.  A  company  of  Ken- 
tuckians,  and  some  other  small  parties,  joined  them,  making  up 
their  strength  to  about  six  hundred  men ;  but  they  were  still 
obliged  to  wait  for  ammunition,  and  as  the  troops  began  to  get 
impatient,  their  leaders  marched  them  to  Refugio,  a  small  town 
and  ruinous  fort,  about  thirty  miles  further  on.  Here,  in  the  lat 
ter  days  of  January,  1836,  General  Houston,  commander-in-chief 
of  the  Texian  forces,  suddenly  and  unexpected  appeared  amongst 
them.  He  assembled  the  troops,  harangued  them,  and  deprecated 
the  proposed  expedition  to  Matamoras  as  useless,  that  town  being 
without  the  proposed  limits  of  the  republic.  Nevertheless,  so 
great  was  the  impatience  of  inaction,  that  two  detachments,  to 
gether  about  seventy  men,  marched  by  different  roads  towards  the 
Rio  Grande,  under  command  of  Grant  and  Johnson.  Their 


373 

example  might  probably  Lave  been  followed  by  others,  had  not  the 
arrival  of  some  strong  reinforcements  from  the  United  States  caused 
various  changes  in  the  plan  of  campaign.  The  fresh  troops  consist 
ed  of  Colonel  Fanning's  free  corps,  the  Georgia  battalion  under  Major 
Ward,  and  the  Red  Rovers,  from  Alabama,  under  Doctor  Shackle- 
ford.  Fanning's  and  Ward's  men,  and  the  Greys,  retired  to 
Goliad,  and  set  actively  to  work  to  improve  and  strengthen  the 
fortifications ;  whilst  Colonel  Grant,  whose  chief  failing  appears  to 
have  been  over-confidence,  continued  with  a  handful  of  followers 
his  advance  to  the  Rio  Grande,  promising  at  least  to  bring  back  a 
supply  of  horses  for  the  use  of  the  army. 

On  the  5th  of  March,  the  garrison  of  Goliad  received  intelli 
gence  of  the  declaration  of  Texian  independence,  and  of  the  ap. 
pointment  of  a  government,  with  Burnet  as  president,  and  Lorenzo 
de  Zavala.  a  Mexican,  as  vicVpresident.  At  the  same  time,  came 
orders  from  General  Houston  to  destroy  the  forts  of  Goliad  and 
the  Alamo,  and  retreat  immediately  behind  the  Guadalupe.  Santa 
Anna,  with  twelve  thousand  men,  was  advancing  by  rapid  marches 
towards  Texas.  The  order  reached  the  Alamo  too  late,  for  the 
little  garrison  of  a  hundred  and  eighty  men  was  already  hemmed 
in,  on  all  sides,  by  several  thousand  Mexicans,  and  had  sent  mes 
sengers,  imploring  assistance,  to  Fanning  at  Goliad,  and  to  Hous 
ton,  who  was  then  stationed  with  five  hundred  militia  atGonzales, 
high  up  on  the  Guadalupe.  A  second  dispatch  from  General 
Houston  gave  Fanning  the  option  of  retiring  behind  the  Guada 
lupe  ;  or,  if  bis  men  wished  it,  of  marching  to  the  relief  of  the 
Alamo,  in  which  latter  case  he  was  to  join  Houston  and  his 
troops  at  Seguin's  Rancho,  about  forty  miles  from  St.  Antonio. 
Fanning,  however,  who,  although  a  man  of  brilliant  and  distin 
guished  courage,  seems  to  have  been  an  undecided  and  wrong- 
headed  officer,  did  neither,  but  preferred  to  wait  for  the  enemy 
within  the  walls  of  Goliad.  In  vain  did  a  majority  of  his  men, 
and  especially  the  Greys,  urge  him  to  march  to  the  rescue  of  their 
comrades ;  he  positively  refused  to  do  so,  although  each  day  wit 
nessed  the  arrival  of  fresh  couriers  from  St.  Antonio,  imploring 
succor. 


374 

One  morning  tbree  men  belonging  to  the  small  detachment 
which,  under  Colonel  Grant,  had  gone  upon  the  mad  expedition 
to  the  Rio  Grande,  arrived  at  Goliad  with  news  of  the  destruction 
of  their  companions.  On^y  thirty  in  number,  they  had  collected 
four  hundred  fine  horses,  and  were  driving  them  northward  to  re 
join  their  friends,  when,  in  a  narrow  pass  between  thickets,  they 
were  suddenly  surrounded  by  several  hundred  of  the  enemy's  lan 
cers,  whose  attack,  however,  seemed  directed  rather  against  the 
horses  than  the  escort.  Grant,  whose  courage  was  blind,  and  who 
had  already  witnessed  many  instances  of  the  almost  incredible 
poltroonery  of  those  half-Indians,  drew  his  sword,  and  charged  the 
Mexicans,  who  were  at  least  ten  times  his  strength.  A  discharge 
of  rifles  and  pistols  stretched  scores  of  the  lancers  upon  the  ground ; 
but  that  discharge  made,  there  was  no  time  to  reload,  and  the 
Texians  had  to  defend  themselves  as  best  they  might,  with  their 
bowie-knives  and  rifle-butts,  against  the  lances  of  the  foe,  with  the 
certainty  that  any  of  them  who  fell  wounded  from  their  saddles, 
would  instantly  be  crushed  and  mangled  under  the  feet  of  the  wild 
horses,  which,  terrified  by  the  firing  and  conflict,  tore  madly  about 
the  narrow  field.  Each  moment  the  numbers  of  the  Texians 
diminished,  one  after  the  other  disappeared,  transfixed  by  the 
lances,  trampled  by  the  hoofs.  Colonel  Grant  and  three  men — 
those  who  brought  the  news  to  Goliad — had  reached  the  outskirts 
of  the  melee,  and  might  at  once  have  taken  to  flight ;  but  Grant 
perceived  some  others  of  his  men  still  fighting  heroically  amongst 
the  mass  of  Mexicans,  and  once  more  he  charged  in  to  rescue 
them.  Everything  gave  way  before  him,  his  broadsword  whistled 
around  him,  and  man  after  man  fell  beneath  its  stroke.  His  three 
followers  having  reloaded,  were  rushing  forward  to  his  support, 
when  suddenly  the  fatal  lasso  flew  through  the  air,  its  coils  sur 
rounded  the  body  of  the  gallant  Scot,  and  the  next  instant  he  lay 
upon  the  ground  beneath  the  feet  of  the  foaming  and  furious 
horses.  In  horrorstruck  silence,  the  three  survivors  turned  their 
horses'  heads  northeast,  and  fled  from  the  scene  of  slaughter. 

Besides  this  disaster,  numerous  detachments  of  Texians  were  cut 
off  by  the  Mexicans,  who  now  swarmed  over  the  southern  part  of 


375 

the  province.  Colonel  Johnson  and  his  party  were  surprised  in 
the  town  of  San  Patricio  and  cut  to  pieces,  Johnson  and  four  of 
his  followers  being  all  that  escaped.  Thirty  men  under  Captain 
King,  who  had  been  sent  by  Fanning  to  escort  some  settlers  on 
their  way  northwards,  were  attacked  by  overpowering  numbers, 
and,  after  a  most  desperate  defence,  utterly  exterminated.  The 
Georgia  battalion  under  Major  Ward,  which  had  marched  from 
Goliad  to  the  assistance  of  King  and  his  party,  fell  in  with  a  large 
body  of  Mexican  cavalry  and  infantry,  and  although,  during  the 
darkness,  they  managed  to  escape,  they  lost  their  way  in  the  prai 
rie,  were  unable  to  return  to  Goliad,  and  subsequently,  as  will 
hereafter  be  seen,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The 'Alamo 
itself  was  taken,  not  a  man  surviving  of  the  one  hundred  and 
eighty  who  had  so  valiantly  defended  it.  On  the  other  hand,  we 
have  Mr.  Ehrenberg's  assurance  that  its  capture  cost  Santa  Anna 
two  thousand  two  hundred  men.  In  the  ranks  of  the  besieging 
army  were  between  two  and  three  thousand  convicts,  who,  on  all 
occasions,  were  put  in  the  post  of  danger.  At  the  attack  on  the 
Alamo  they  were  promised  a  free  pardon  if  they  took  the  place. 
Nevertheless,  they  advanced  reluctantly  enough  to  the  attack,  and 
twice,  when  they  saw  their  ranks  mown  down  by  the  fire  of  the 
Texians,  they  turned  to  fly,  but  each  time  they  were  driven  back  to 
the  charge  by  the  bayonets  and  artillery  of  their  countrymen.  At 
last,  when  the  greater  part  of  these  unfortunates  had  fallen,  Santa 
Anna  caused  his  fresh  troops  to  advance,  and  the  place  was  taken. 
The  two  last  of  the  garrison  fell  by  the  Mexican  bullets  as  they 
were  rushing,  torch  in  hand,  to  fire  the  powder  magazine.  The 
fall  of  the  Alamo  was  announced  to  Colonel  Fanning  in  a  letter 
from  Houston. 

"  The  next  point  of  the  enemy's  operations,"  said  the  old  general, 
"will  be  Goliad,  and  let  the  garrison  reflect  on  the  immensity  of 
the  force  that  within  a  very  few  days  will  surround  its  walls.  I  con 
jure  them  to  make  a  speedy  retreat,  and  to  join  the  militia  behind 
the  Guadalupe.  Only  by  a  concentration  of  our  forces  can  we 
hope  to  achieve  anything  ;  and  if  Goliad  is  besieged,  it  will  be  im 
possible  for  me  to  succor  it,  or  to  stake  the  fate  of  the  republic 


376 

upon  a  battle  it  the  prairie,  where  the  ground  is  so  unfavorable 
to  our  troops.  Once  more,  therefore,  Colonel  Fanning — in  rear 
of  the  Guadalupe !" 

At  last,,  but  unfortunately  too  late,  Fanning  decided  to  obey  the 
orders  of  his  general.  The  affairs  of  the  republic  of  Texas  were 
indeed  in  a  most  critical  and  unfavorable  state.  St.  Antonio 
taken,  the  army  of  volunteers  nearly  annihilated,  eight  or  ten 
thousand  Mexican  troops  in  the  country,  for  the  garrison  of  Goliad 
no  chance  of  relief  in  case  of  a  siege,  and,  moreover,  a  scanty  store 
of  provisions.  These  were  the  weighty  grounds  which  finally  in 
duced  Fanning  to  evacuate  and  destroy  Goliad.  The  history  of 
the  retreat  will  be  best  given  in  a  condensed  translation  of  the  in 
teresting  narrative  now  before  us. 

On  the  18th  April,  1836,  says  Mr.  Ehrenberg,  at  eight  in  the 
morning,  we  commenced  our  retreat  from  the  demolished  and  still 
burning  fort  of  Goliad.  The  fortifications  at  which  we  had  worked 
with  so  much  zeal,  a  heap  of  dried  beef,  to  prepare  which  nearly 
seven  hundred  oxen  had  been  slaughtered,  and  the  remainder  of 
our  wheat  and  maize  flour,  had  been  set  on  fire,  and  were  sending 
up  black  columns  of  smoke  towards  the  clouded  heavens.  Nothing 
was  to  be  seen  of  the  enemy,  although  their  scouts  had  for  some 
days  previously  been  observed  in  the  west,  towards  St.  Antonio. 
All  the  artillery,  with  the  exception  of  two  long  four-pounders  and 
a  couple  of  mortars,  were  spike'd  and  left  behind  us.  But  the 
number  of  store  and  ammunition  wagons  with  which  we  started 
was  too  great,  and  our  means  of  drawing  them  inadequate,  so 
that,  before  we  had  gone  half  a  mile,  our  track  was  marked  by 
objects  of  various  kinds  scattered  about  the  road,  and  several  carts 
had  broken  down  or  been  left  behind.  At  a  mile  from  Goliad,  on 
the  picturesque  banks  of  the  St.  Antonio,  the  remainder  of  the 
baggage  was  abandoned  or  hastily  thrown  into  the  river ;  chests 
full  of  cartridges,  the  soldiers'  effects,  everything,  in  short,  was 
committed  to  the  transparent  waters ;  and  having  harnessed  the 
oxen  and  draught  horses  to  the  artillery  and  to  two  ammunition 
wagons,  we  slowly  continued  the  march,  our  foes  still  remaining 
invisible. 


377 

Our  road  lay  through  one  of  those  enchanting  landscapes,  com 
posed  of  small  prairies,  intersected  by  strips  of  oak  and  underwood. 
On  ail  sides  droves  of  oxen  were  feeding  in  the  high  grass,  herds 
of  wild-eyed  deer  gazed  wonderingly  at  the  army  that  thus  in 
truded  upon  the  solitary  prairies  of  the  west,  and  troops  of  horses 
dashed  madly  away  upon  our  approach,  the  thunder  of  their  hoofs 
continuing  to  be  audible  long  after  their  disappearance.  At  eight 
miles  from  Goliad  begins  an  extensive  and  treeless  prairie,  known 
as  the  Nine-mile  Prairie ;  and  across  this,  towards  three  in  the 
afternoon,  we  had  advanced  about  four  or  five  miles.  Myself  and 
some  of  my  comrades,  who  acted  as  rearguard,  were  about  two 
miles  behind,  and  had  received  orders  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  upon 
the  forest,  which  lay  at  a  considerable  distance  to  our  left ;  but  as 
up  to  this  time  no  signs  of  an  enemy  had  been  visible,  we  were 
riding  along  in  full  security,  when,  upon  casually  turning  our 
heads,  we  perceived,  about  four  miles  off,  at  the  edge  of  the  wood, 
a  something  that  resembled  a  man  on  horseback.  But  as  the 
thing,  whatever  it  was,  did  not  appear  to  move,  we  decided  that  it 
must  be  a  tree  or  some  other  inanimate  object,  and  we  rode  on 
without  taking  further  notice.  We  proceeded  in  .this  way  for 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then,  the  main  body  being  only 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  us,  marching  at  a  snail's  pace,  we 
halted  to  rest  a  little,  and  let  our  horses  feed.  Now  for  the  first 
time,  as  we  gazed  out  over  the  seemingly  boundless  prairie,  we 
perceived  in  our  rear,  and  close  to  the  wood,  a  long  black  line. 
At  first  we  took  it  to  be  a  herd  of  oxen  which  the  settlers  were 
driving  eastward,  to  rescue  them  from  the  Mexicans ;  but  the 
dark  mass  drew  rapidly  nearer,  became  each  moment  more  plainly 
discernible,  and  soon  we  could  no  longer  doubt  that  a  strong  body 
of  Mexican  cavalry  was  following  us  at  full  gallop.  We  sprang 
upon  our  horses,  and,  at  the  top  of  their  speed,  hurried  after  our 
friends,  to  warn  them  of  the  approaching  danger.  Its  intimation 
was  received  with  a  loud  hurra ;  all  was  made  ready  for  the  fight, 
a  square  was  formed,  and  in  this  manner  we  marched  on,  as  fast 
us  possible  certainly,  but  that  was  slowly  enough.  Fanning,  our 
oommander,  was  unquestionably  a  brave  and  daring  soldier,  but 

33* 


378 

nnfortunately  he  was  by  no  means  fitted  for  the  post  he  held,  or 
indeed  for  any  undivided  command.  As  a  proof  of  this,  instead 
of  endeavoring  to  reach  the  nearest  wood,  hardly  a  mile  off,  and 
sheltered  in  which  our  Texian  and  American  riflemen  wou^.d  have 
been  found  invincible,  he  resolved  to  give  battle  upon  the  open 
and  unfavorable  ground  that  we  now  occupied. 

The  Mexicans  came  up  at  a  furious  gallop  to  the  distance  of 
five  or  six  hundred  paces,  and  thence  gave  us  a  volley  from  their 
carbines,  of  which  we  took  no  notice,  seeing  that  the  bullets  flew 
at  a  respectful  height  above  our  heads,  or  else  fell  whistling  upon 
the  earth  before  us,  without  even  raising  the  dust.  One  only  of 
the  harmless  things  passed  between  me  and  my  right  hand  man, 
and  tore  off"  part  of.  the  cap  of  my  friend,  Thomas  Camp,  who, 
after  myself,  was  the  youngest  man  in  the  army.  We  remained 
perfectly  quiet,  and  waited  for  the  enemy  to  come  nearer,  which 
he  did,  firing  volley  after  volley.  Our  artillery  officers,  for  the 
most  part  Poles,  tall,  handsome  men,  calmly  waited  the  opportune 
moment  to  return  the  fire.  It  came ;  the  ranks  opened,  and  the 
artillery  vomited  death  and  destruction  amongst  the  Mexicans, 
whose  ill-broken  horses  recoiled  in  dismay  and  confusion  from  the 
flash  and  thunders  of  the  guns.  The  effect  of  our  fire  was  fright 
ful,  steeds  and  riders  lay  convulsed  and  dying  upon  the  ground, 
and  for  a  time  the  advance  of  the  enemy  was  checked.  We  pro 
fited  by  this  to  continue  our  retreat,  but  had  marched  a  very  short 
distance  before  we  were  again  threatened  with  a  charge,  and  Fan 
ning  commanded  a  halt.  It  was  pointed  out  to  him  that  another 
body  of  the  enemy.was  advancing  upon  our  left,  to  cut  us  off  from 
the  wood,  and  that  those  who  had  already  attacked  us  were 
merely  sent  to  divert  our  attention  whilst  the  manoeuvre  was  ex 
ecuted.  But  Fanning  either  did  not  see  the  danger,  or  he  was 
vexed  that  another  should  be  more  quicksighted  than  himself,  for 
he  would  not  retract  his  order.  At  last,  after  much  vain  discus 
sion,  and  after  representing  to  him  how  necessary  it  was  to  gain 
the  wood,  the  Greys  declared  that  they  would  inarch  thither  alone 
But  it  was  too  late.  The  enemy  had  already  cut  us  off  from  it, 
and  there  "was  nothing  left  but  to  fight  our  way  through  them,  or 


379 

give  battle  where  we  stood.  Fanning  was  for  the  latter  course ; 
and  before  the  captains,  who  had  formed  a  council  of  war,  could 
come  to  a  decision,  the  Mexican  trumpets  sounded  the  charge,  and 
with  shout  and  shot  the  cavalry  bore  down  upon  us,  their  wild 
cries,  intended  to  frighten  us,  contrasting  oddly  with  the  silence 
and  phlegm  of  our  people,  who  stood  waiting  the  opportunity  to 
make  the  best  use  of  their  rifles.  Again  and  again  our  artillery 
played  havoc  amongst  the  enemy,  who,  finding  his  cavalry  so  un 
successful  in  its  assaults,  now  brought  up  the  infantry,  in  order  to 
make  a  combined  attack  on  all  sides  at  once.  Besides  the  Mexi 
cans,  three  hundred  of  their  Indian  allies,  Lipans  and  Caranchuas, 
approached  us  on  the  left,  stealing  through  the  long  grass,  and, 
contemptible  themselves,  but  formidable  by  their  position, 
wounded  several  of  our  people  almost  before  we  perceived  their 
proximity.  A  few  discharges  of  canister  soon  rid  us  of  these 
troublesome  assailants. 

Meanwhile  the  hostile  infantry,  who  had  now  joined  the  cavalry, 
slowly  advanced,  keeping  up  a  constant  but  irregular  fire,  which 
we  replied  to  with  our  rifles.  In  a  very  short  time  we  were  sur 
rounded  by  so  dense  a  smoke  that  we  were  often  compelled  to 
pause  and  advance  a  little  towards  the  enemy,  before  we  could 
distinguish  an  object  at  which  to  aim.  The  whole  prairie  was 
covered  with  clouds  of  smoke,  through  which  were  seen  the  rapid 
flashes  of  the  musketry,  accompanied  by  the  thunder  of  the  artil 
lery,  the  sharp  clear  crack  of  our  rifles,  and  the  occasional  blare 
of  the  Mexican  trumpets,  encouraging  to  the  fight.  At  that 
moment,  I  believe  there  was  not  a  coward  in  the  field ;  in  the 
midst  of  such  a  tumult  there  was  no  time  to  think  of  self.  We 
rushed  on  to  meet  the  advancing  foe,  and  many  of  us  found  our 
selves  standing  firing  in  the  very  middle  of  his  ranks.  I  myself  • 
was  one  of  these.  In  the  smoke  and  confusion  I  had  got  too  far 
forward,  and  was  too  busy  loading  and  firing,  to  perceive  that  I 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  Mexicans.  As  soon  as  I  discovered  my 
mistake,  I  hurried  back  to  our  own  position,  in  all  the  greater 
haste,  because  the  touchhole  of  my  rifle  had  got  stopped. 

But  things  went  badly  with  us ;  many  of  our  people  were  killed, 


380 

more,  severely  wounded  ;  all  our  artillerymen,  with  the  exception 
of  one  Pole,  had  fallen,  and  formed  a  wall  of  dead  bodies  round 
the  guns ;  the  battle-field  was  covered  with  dead  and  dying  men 
and  horses,  with  rifles  and  other  weapons.  Fanning  himself  had 
been  thrice  wounded.  The  third  bullet  had  gone  through  two 
coats  and  through  the  pocket  of  his  overalls,  in  which  he  had  a 
silk  handkerchief,  and  had  entered  the  flesh,  but,  strang'e  to  say, 
without  cutting  through  all  the  folds  of  the  silk ;  so  that  when  he 
drew  out  the  handkerchief,  the  ball  fell  out  of  it,  and  he  then 
for  the  first  time  felt  the  pain  of  the  wound. 

It  was  between  five  and  six  o'clock.  In  vain  had  the  cavalry 
endeavoured  to  bring  their  horses  against  our  ranks ;  each  attempt 
had  been  rendered  fruitless  by  the  steady  fire  of  our  artillery  and 
rifles,  and  at  last  they  were  obliged  to  retreat.  The  infantry  also 
retired  without  waiting,  for  orders,  and  our  guns,  which  were  now 
served  by  the  Greys,  sent  a  last  greeting  after  them.  Seven  hun 
dred  Mexicans  lay  dead  upon  the  field ;  but  we  also  had  lost  a 
fifth  part  of  our  men,  more  than  had  ever  fallen  on  the  side  of  the 
Texians  in  any  contest  since  the  war  began,  always  excepting  the 
massacre  of  the  Alamo.  The  enemy  still  kept  near  us,  apparently 
disposed  to  wait  till  the  next  day,  and  then  renew  their  attacks. 
Night  came  ou,  but  brought  us  no  repose  ;  a  fine  rain  began  to 
fall,  and  spoiled  the  few  rifles  that  were  still  in  serviceable  order. 
Each  moment  we  expected  an  assault  from  the  Mexicans,  who  had 
divided  themselves  into  three  detachments,  of  which  one  was 
posted  in  the  direction  of  Goliad,  another  upon  the  road  to  Victo 
ria,  which  was  our  road,  and  the  third  upon  our  left,  equidistant 
from  the  other  two,  so  as  to  form  a  triangle.  Their  signals  showed 
us  their  position  through  the  darkness.  We  saw  that  it  was 
impossible  to  retreat  unperceived,  and  that  our  only  plan  was  to 
spike  the  guns,  abandon  the  wounded  and  artillery,  put  our  rifles 
in  as  good  order  as  might  be,  and  cut  our  way  through  that  body 
of  Mexicans  which  held  the  road  to  Victoria.  Once  in  the  wood, 
we  were  safe,  and  all  Santa  Anna's  regiments  would  have  been 
insufficient  to  dislodge  us.  The  Greys  were  of  opinion  that  it 
was  better  to  sacrifice  a  part  than  the  whole,  and  to  abandon  the 


we uuded,  rather  than  place  ourselves  at  the  mercy  of  a  foe  in 
whose  honor  and  humanity  no  trust  could  be  reposed.  But  Fan 
ning  was  of  a  different  opinion.  Whether  his  wounds — none  of 
them,  it  is  true,  very  severe — and  the  groans  and  complaints  of 
the  dying,  had  rendered  him  irresolute  and  shaken  his  well-tried 
courage,  or  whether  it  was  the  hope  that  our  vanguard,  which  had 
reached  the  wood  before  the  Mexicans  surrounded  us,  would 
return  with  a  reinforcement  from  Victoria,  only  ten  miles  distant, 
and  where,  as  it  was  falsely  reported,  six  hundred  militiamen  were 
stationed,  I  cannot  say;  but  he  remained  obstinate,  and  we  vainly 
implored  him  to  take  advantage  of  the  pitch-dark  night,  and 
retreat  to  the  wood.  He  insisted  upon  waiting  till  eight  o'clock 
the  next  morning,  and  if  no  assistance  came  to  us  by  that  time, 
we  could  cut  our  way,  he  said  in  open  day,  through  the  ranks  of 
our  contemptible  foe,  and  if  we  did  not  conquer,  we  could  at  least 
bravely  die. 

"  Give  way  to-  my  wishes,  comrades,"  said  he  \  "  listen  to  the 
groans  of  our  wounded  brethren,  whose  lives  may  yet  be  saved  by 
medical  skill.  Will  the  New  Orleans7  Greys,  the  first  company 
who  shouldered  the  rifle  for  Texian  liberty,  abandon  their  unfor 
tunate  comrades  to  a  cruel  death  at  the  hands  of  our  barbarous 
foes  ?  Once  more,  friends,  I  implore  you,  wait  till  daybreak,  and 
if  no  help  is  then  at  hand,  it  shall  be  as  you  please,  and  I  will  fol 
low  you." 

In  order  to  unstiffen  my  limbs,  which  were  numbed  by  the  wet 
and  cold,  I  walked  to  and  fro  in  our  little  camp,  gazing  out 
into  the  darkness.  Not  a  star  was  visible,  the  night  was  gloomy 
and  dismal,  well  calculated  to  crush  all  hope  in  our  hearts.  I 
stepped  out  of  the  encampment,  and  walked  in  the  direction  of 
the  enemy.  From  time  to  time  dark  figures  glided  swiftly  by 
within  a  short  distance  of  me.  They  were  the  Indians,  carrying 
away  the  bodies  of  the  dead  Mexicans,  in  order  to  conceal  from  us 
the  extent  of  their  loss.  For  hours  I  mournfully  wandered  about, 
and  day  was  breaking  when  I  returned  to  the  camp.  All  were 
already  astir.  In  silent  expectation,  we  strained  our  eyes  in  the 
direction  of  the  neighboring  wood,  hoping  each  moment  to  see 


382 

our  fri  3nds  burst  out  from  its  shelter ;  but  as  the  light  became 
stronger,  all  our  hopes  fled,  and  our  previous  doubts  as  to  whether 
there  really  were  any  troops  at  Victoria,  became  confirmed.  The 
Mexican  artillery  bad  come  up  during  the  night,  and  now 
appeared  stationed  with  the  detachment  which  cut  us  off  from  the 
wood. 

It  was  seven  o'clock ;  we  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  succour,  and 
had  assembled  together  to  deliberate  on  the  best  mode  of  attack 
ing  the  Mexicans,  when  their  artillery  suddenly  bellowed  forth  a 
morning  salutation,  and  the  balls  came  roaring  over  and  around 
us.  These  messengers  hastened  our  decision,  and  we  resolved  at 
once  to  attack  the  troops  upon  the  road  with  rifle  and  bowie-knife, 
and  at  all  hazards  and  any  loss  to  gain  the  wood.  All  were  ready, 
even  the  wounded,  those  at  least  who  were  able  to  stand,  made 
ready  to  accompany  us,  determined  to  die  fighting,  rather  than  be 
unresistingly  butchered.  Suddenly,  and  at  the  very  moment  that 
we  were  about  to  advance,  the  white  flag,  the  symbol  of  peace,  was 
raised  upon  the  side  of  the  Mexicans.  Mistrusting  their  inten 
tions,  however,  we  were  going  to  press  forward,  when  Fanning's 
command  checked  us.  He  had  conceived  hopes  of  rescuing  him 
self  and  his  comrades,  by  means  of  an  honourable  capitulation, 
from  the  perilous  position  into  which  he  could  not  but  feel  that 
his  own  obstinacy  had  brought  them. 

Three  of  the  enemy's  officers  now  approached  our  camp,  two 
of  them  Mexican  cavalry-men,  the  third  a  German  who  had  got 
into  favour  with  Santa  Anna,  and  had  risen  to  be  colonel  of  artil 
lery.  He  was,  if  .1  am  not  mistaken,  a  native  of  Mayence,  and 
originally  a  carpenter,  but  having  some  talent  for  mathematics  and 
architecture,  he  had  entered  the  service  of  an  English  mining  com 
pany,  and  been  sent  to  Mexico.  There  Santa  Anna  employed  him 
to  build  his  well-known  country-house  of  Mango  do  Clavo,  and 
conceiving,  from  the  manner  in  which  the  work  was  executed,  a 
high  opinion  of  the  talent  of  the  builder,  he  gave  him  a  commis 
sion  in  the  engineers,  and  in  time  made  him  colonel  of  artillery. ' 
This  man,  whose  name  was  Holzinger,  was  the  only  one  who  spoke 
English,  of  the  three  officers  who  came  with  the  flag  of  truce  ;  and 


as  he  spoke  it  very  badly,  a  great  deal  of  our  conference  took 
place  in  German,  and  was  then  retranslated  into  Spanish.  After 
a  long  discussion.  Fanning  agreed  to  the  following  conditions: 
namely,  that  we  should  deliver  up  our  arms,  that  our  private  pro 
perty  should  be  respected,  and  we  ourselves  sent  to  Corpano  or 
Metamoro,  there  to  embark  for  New  Orleans.  So  long  as  we 
were  prisoners  of  war,  we  were  to  receive  the  same  rations  as  the 
Mexican  soldiers.  On  the  other  hand,  we  gave  our  word  of  honor 
not  again  to  bear  arms  against  the  existing  government  of  Mexico. 
Whilst  the  three  officers  returned  to  General  Urrea,  who  com 
manded  the  Mexican  army,  to  procure  the  ratification  of  these 
conditions,  we,  the  volunteers  from  New  Orleans  and  Mobile,  sur 
rounded  Fanning,  highly  dissatisfied  at  the  course  that  had  been 
adopted.  -"What!"  was  the  cry,  "is  this  the  way  that  Fanning 
keeps  his  promise — this  his  boasted  courage  ?  Has  he  forgotten 
the  fate  of  our  brothers,  massacred  at  San  Antonio  ?  Does  he  not 
yet  know  our  treacherous  foes  ?  In  the  Mexican  tongue,  to  capi 
tulate,  means  to  die.  Let  us  die  then,  and  fighting  for  Texas  and 
for  liberty ;  and  let  the  blood  of  hundreds  of  Mexicans  mingle 
with  our  own.  Perhaps,  even  though  they  be  ten  times  as 
numerous,  we  may  succeed  in  breaking  through  their  ranks. 
Think  of  San  Antonio,  where  we  were  two  hundred  and  ten 
against  two  thousand,  and  yet  we  conquered.  Why  not  again 
risk  the  combat?"  But  all  our  expostulations  and  reproaches 
were  rn  vain.  The  majority  were  for  surrender,  and  we  were  com 
pelled  to  give  way  and  deliver  up  our  weapons.  Some  of  the 
Greys  strode  sullenly  up  and  down  the  camp,  casting  furious 
glances  at  Fanning  and  those  who  had  voted  for  the  capitulation ; 
others  sat  motionless,  their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground,  envying 
the  fate  of  those  who  had  fallen  in  the  fight.  Despair  was  legi 
bly  written  on  the  faces  of  many  who  but  too  well  foresaw  our 
fate.  One  man  in  particular,  an  American,  of  the  name  of  John 
son,  exhibited  the  most  ungovernable  fury.  He  sat  grinding  his 
teeth,  and  stamping  upon  the  ground,  and  puffing  forth  volumes 
of  smoke '  from  his  cigar,  whilst  he  meditated,  as  presently 
appeared,  a  frightful  plan  of  vengeance. 


384 

Stimulated  by  curiosity,  a  number  of  Mexicans  now  strolled 
over  to  our  camp,  and  gazed  shyly  at  the  gloomy  grey  marksmen, 
as  if  they  still  feared  them,  even  though  unarmed.  The  beauty 
of  the  rifles  which  our  people  had  given  up,  was  also  a  subject  of 
great  wonder  and  admiration;  and  soon  the  camp  became 
crowded  with  unwelcome  visitors — their  joy  and  astonishment  at 
their  triumph,  contrasting  with  the  despair  and  despondency  of 
the  prisoners.  Suddenly  a  broad  bright  flame  flashed  through 
the  morning  fog,  a  tremendous  explosion  followed,  and  then  all 
was  again  still,  and  the  prairie  strewn  with  wounded  men.  A 
cloud  of  smoke  was  crushed  down  by  the  heavy  atmosphere  upon 
the  dark  green  plain ;  the  horses  of  the  Mexican  officers  reared 
wildly  in  the  air,  or,  with  bristling  mane  and  streaming  tail  gal- 
lopped  furiously  away  with  their  half-deafened  riders.  Numbers 
of  persons  had  been  thrown  down  by  the  shock,  others  had  flung 
themselves  upon  the  ground  in  consternation,  and  some  moments 
elapsed  before  the  cause  of  the  explosion  was  ascertained.  The 
powder  magazine  had  disappeared — all  but  a  small  part  of  the 
carriage,  around  which  lay  a  number  of  wounded,  and,  at  about 
fifteen  paces  from  it,  a  black  object,  in  which  the  form  of  a 
human  being  was  scarcely  recognizable,  but  which  was  still  living, 
almost  unable  to  speak.  Coal-black  as  a  negro,  and  frightfully 
disfigured,  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  the  features  of  this 
unhappy  wretch.  Inquiry  was  made,  the  roll  was  called,  and 
Johnson  was  found  missing.  Nobody  had  observed  his  proceed 
ings,  and  the  explosion  may  have  been  the  result  of  an  accident ; 
but  we  entertained  little  doubt  that  he  had  formed  a  deliberate 
plan  to  kill  himself  and  as  many  Mexicans  as  he  could,  and  had 
chosen  what  he  considered  a  favorable  moment  to  set  fire  to  the 
ammunition-wagon.  As  it  happened,  the  cover  was  not  fastened 
down,  so  that  the  principal  force  of  the  powder  went  upwards,  and 
his  terrible  project  was  rendered  in  a  great  measure  abortive. 

Scarcely  had  the  confusion  caused  by  this  incident  subsided, 
and  the  fury  of  our  foes  been  appeased,  when  the  alarm  was 
sounded  in  the  opposite  camp,  and  the  Mexicans  ran  to  their  arms. 
The  cause  of  this  was  soon  explained.  In  the  wood,  which,  could 


385 

we  have  reached  it,  would  have  been  our  salvation,  appeared  our 
faithful  vanguard,  accompanied  by  all  the  militia  they  had  been 
able  to  collect  in  so  short  a  time — the  whole  commanded  by  Colo 
nel  Horton.  False  indeed  had  been  the  report,  that  six  or  eight 
hundred  men  were  stationed  at  Victoria ;  including  our  vanguard, 
the  gallant  fellows  who  thus  came  to  our  assistance  were  but  sixty 
in  number. 

"With  what  horror,"  said  the  brave  Horton,  subsequently,  "did 
we  perceive  that  we  had  arrived  too  late !  We  stood  thunder 
struck  and  uncertain  what  to  do,  when  we  were  suddenly  roused 
from  our  bewilderment  by  the  sound  of  the  Mexican  trumpets. 
There  was  no  time  to  lose,  and  our  minds  were  speedily  made  up. 
Although  Fanning  had  so  far  forgotten  his  duty  as  to  surrender, 
ours  was  to  save  ourselves,  for  the  sake  of  the  republic.  Now, 
more  than  ever,  since  all  the  volunteers  were  either  killed  or  pri 
soners,  had  Texas  need  of  our  arms  and  rifles.  We  turned  our 
horses,  and  galloped  back  to  Victoria,  whence  we  marched  to  join 
Houston  at  Gonzales." 

The  Mexicans  lost  no  time  in  pursuing  Horton  and  his  people, 
but  without  success.  The  fugitives  reached  the  thickly-wooded 
banks  of  the  Guadalupe,  and  disappeared  amongst  intricacies 
through  which  the  foe  did  not  dare  to  follow  them.  Had  the 
reinforcement  arrived  one  half  hour  sooner,  the  bloody  tragedy 
soon  to  be  enacted  would  never  have  taken  place. 

The  unfortunate  Texian  prisoners  were  now  marched  back  to 
Goliad,  and  shut  up  in  the  church,  which  was  thereby  so  crowded 
that  scarcely  a  fourth  of  them  were  able  to  sit  or  crouch  upon  the 
ground.  Luckily  the  interior  of  the  building  was  thirty-five  to 
forty  feet  high,  or  they  would  inevitably  have  been  suffocated. 
Here  they  remained  all  night,  parched  with  thirst ;  and  it  was  not 
till  eight  in  the  morning  that  six  of  their  number  were  permitted 
to  fetch  water  from  the  river.  In  the  evening  they  were  again 
allowed  water,  but  for  two  nights  and  two  days  no  other  refresh 
ment  passed  their  lips.  Strong  pickets  of  troops,  and  guns  loaded 
with  grape,  were  stationed  round  their  prison,  ready  to  massacre 
them  in  case  of  an  outbreak,  which  it  seemed  the  intention  of  th$ 

34 


Mexicans  to  provoke.  At  last,  on  the  evening  of  the  second  day, 
six  ounces  of  raw  beef  were  distributed  to  each  man.  This  they 
had  no  means  of  cooking,  save  at  two  small  fires,  which  they  made 
of  the  wood-work  of  the  church;  and  as  the  heat  caused  by  these 
was  unendurable  to  the  closely  packed  multitude,  the  majority 
devoured  their  scanty  ration  raw.  One  more  night  was  passed  in 
this  wretched  state,  and  then  the  prisoners  were  removed  to  an 
open  court  within  the  walls  of  the  fortress.  This  was  a  great 
improvement  of  their  situation,  but  all  that  day  no  rations  were 
given  to  them,  and  they  began  to  buy  food  of  the  soldiers,  giving 
for  it  what  money  they  possessed ;  and  when  that  was  all  gone, 
bartering  their  clothes,  even  to  their  shirts  and  trousers./  So  enor 
mous,  however,  were  the  prices  charged  by  the  Mexicans,  Mr. 
Ehrenberg  tells  us,  that  one  hungry  man  could  easily  eat  at  a 
meal  ten  dollars'  worth  of  tortillas  or  maize-cakes.  Not  satisfied 
with  this  mode  of  extortion,  the  Mexican  soldiers,  who  are  born 
thieves,  were  constantly  on  the  lookout  to  rob  the  unhappy  prison 
ers  of  whatever  clothing  or  property  they  had  left. 

On  the  fourth  morning,  three  quarters  of  a  ppund  of  beef  were 
given  to  each  man ;  and  whilst  they  were  engaged  in  roasting  it, 
there  appeared,  to  their  great  surprise,  a  hundred  and  twenty  fresh 
prisoners,  being  Major  Ward's  detachment,  which  had  lost  its  way 
in  the  prairie,  and,  after  wandering  about  for  eight  days,  had 
heard  of  Fanning's  capitulation,  and  surrendered  on  the  same 
terms.  Twenty-six  of  them,  carpenter's  by  trade,  had  been 
detained  at  Victoria  by  order  of  Colonel  Holzinger,  to  assist  in 
building  bridges  for  the  transport  of  the  artillery  across  the  river. 
On  the  seventh  day  came  a  hundred  more  prisoners,  who  had 
just  landed  at  Copano  from  New  York,  under  command  of  Colo 
nel  Miller,  and  had  been  captured  by  the  Mexican  cavalry.  The 
rations  were  still  scanty,  and  given  but  at  long  intervals  ;  and  the  . 
starving  Texians  continued  their  system  of  barter,  urged  to  it  by 
the  pangs  of  hunger,  and  by  the  Mexican  soldiers,  who  told  them 
that  they  were  to  be  shot  in  a  day  or  two,  arid  might  as  well  part 
with  whatever  they  had  left,  in  order  to  render  their  last  hours 
more  endurable.  This  cruel  assurar  te,  however,  the  prisoners 


387 

did  not  believe.  They  were  sanguine  of  a  speedy  return  to  the 
States,  and  impatiently  waited  the  arrival  of  an  order  for  their 
shipment  from  Santa  Anna,  who  was  then  at  St.  Antonio,  and  to 
whom  news  of  the  capitulation  had  been  sent.  General  Urrea 
had  marched  from  Goliad  immediately  after  their  surrender,  only 
leaving  sufficient  troops  to  guard  them,  and  had  crossed  the  Gua- 
dalupe  without  opposition.  Santa  Anna's  order  at  last  came,  but 
its  purport  was  far  different  from  the  anticipated  one.  We 
resume  our  extracts  from  Mr.  Ehrenberg's  narrative  : 

The  eighth  morning  of  our  captivity  dawned,  and  so  great  were 
our  sufferings,  that  we  had  resolved,  if  some  change  were  not 
made  in  our  condition,  to  free  ourselves  by  force,  or  die  in  the 
attempt,  when  a  rumor  spread  that  a  courier  from  Santa  Anna 
had  arrived  during  the  night.  This  inspired  us  with  fresh  hopes, 
and  we  trusted  that  the  hour  of  our  deliverance  at  last  approached. 
At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  an  officer  entered  our  place  of 
confinement,  carrying  Santa  Anna's  order  in  his  hand,  of  the  con 
tents  of  which,  however,  he  told  us  nothing,  except  that  we  were 
immediately  to  march  away  from  Goliad.  Whether  we  were  to 
go  to  Copano  or  Matamoras,  we  were  not  informed.  We  saw 
several  pieces  of  cannon  standing  pointed  against  our  inclosure, 
the  artillerymen  standing  by  them  with  lighted  matches,  and 
near  them  was  drawn  up  a  battalion  of  infantry  in  parade  uniform, 
but  coarse  and  ragged  enough;  The  infantry  had  no  knapsacks 
or  baggage  of  any  kind ;  but  at  the  time  I  do  not  believe  that  one 
of  us  remarked  the  circumstance,  as  the  Mexican  soldiers  in  gene 
ral  carry  little  or  nothing.  For  our  part,  we  required  but  a  very 
short  time  to  get  ready  for  the  march,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we 
were  all  drawn  up,  two- deep,  with  the  exception  of  Colonel  Mil 
ler's  detachment,  which  was  quartered  outside  the  fort.  Fanning 
and  the  other  wounded  men,  the  doctor,  his  assistantsy  and  the 
interpreters,  were  also  absent.  They  were  td  be  sent  later  to 
New  Orleans,  it  was  believed,  by  a  nearer  road. 

After  the  names  had  been  called  over,  the  order  to  march  was 
given,  and  we  filed  out  through  the  gate  of  the  fortress,  the  Greys 
taking  the  lead.  Outside  the  gate  we  were  received  \y  two  detach 


<-  388 

mente  of  Mexican  infantry,  who  marched  along  on  either  side 
of  us,  in  the  same  order  as  ourselves.  We  were  about  four 
hundred  in  number,  and  the  enemy  about  seven  hundred,  not 
including  the  cavalry,  of  which  numerous  small  groups  were  scat 
tered  about  the  prairie.  We  marched  on  in  silence,  not  however 
in  the  direction  we  had  anticipated,  but  along  the  road  to  Victoria. 
This  surprised  us;  but  upon  reflection  we  concluded  that  they  were 
conducting  us  to  some  eastern  port,  thence  to  be  shipped  to  New 
Orleans,  which,  upon  the  whole,  was  perhaps  the  best  and  shortest 
plan.  There  was  something,  however,  in  the  profound  silence  of 
the  Mexican  soldiers,  who  are  usually  unceasing  chatterers,  that 
inspired  me  with  a  feeling  of  uneasiness  and  anxiety.  It  was  like 
a  funeral  march,  and  truly  might  it  so  be  called.  Presently  I 
turned  my  head  to  see  if  Miller's  people  had  joined  and  were 
marching  with  us.  But,  to  my  extreme  astonishment,  neither 
they  nor  Tanning's  men,  nor  the  Georgia  battalion,  were  to  be 
seen.  They  had  separated  us  without  our  observing  it,  and  the 
detachment  with  which  I  was  marching  consisted  only  of  the 
Greys  and  a  few  Texian  colonists.  Glancing  at  the  escort,  their 
full  dress  uniform  and  the  absence  of  all  baggage,  now  for  the  first 
time  struck  me.  I  thought  of  the  bloody  scenes  that  had  occurred 
at  Tampico,  San  Patricio,  and  the  Alamo,  of  the  false  and  cruel 
character  of  those  in  whose  power  we  were,  and  I  was  seized  with 
a  presentiment  of  evil.  For  a  moment  I  was  about  to  communi 
cate  my  apprehensions  to  my  comrades ;  but  hope,  which  never 
dies,  again  caused  me  to  take  a  more  cheering  view  of  our  situa 
tion.  Nevertheless,  in  order  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst,  and  in 
case  of  need,  to  be  unencumbered  in  my  movements,  I  watched 
my  opportunity,  and  threw  away  amongst  the  grass  of  the  prai 
rie  a  bundle  containing  the  few  things  that  the  thievish  Mexicans 
had  allowed  me  to  retain. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  had  elapsed  since  our  departure  from  the 
fort,  when  suddenly  the  command  was  given  in  Spanish  to  wheel 
to  the  left,  leaving  the  road  ;  and,  as  we  did  not  understand  the 
order,  the  officer  himself  went  in  front  to  show  us  the  way,  and 
my  companions  followed  without  Baking  any  particular  notice  of 


389 

the  change  of  direction.  To  our  left  ran  a  muskeet  hedge,  five  or 
six  feet  in  height,  at  right  angles  with  the  river  St.  Antonio,  which 
flowed  at  about  a  thousand  paces  from  us,  between  banks  thirty  or 
forty  feet  high,  and  of  which  banks  the  one  on  the  nearer  side  of 
the  river  rose  nearly  perpendicularly  out  of  the  water.  We  were 
marched  along  the  side  of  the  hedge  towards  the  stream,  and  sud 
denly  the  thought  flashed  across  us,  "  Why  are  they  taking  us  in 
this  direction  ?"  The  appearance  of  a  number  of  lancers,  canter 
ing  about  in  the  fields  on  our  right,  also  startled  us ;  and  just  then 
the  foot-soldiers,  who  had  been  marching  between  us  and  the 
hedge,  changed  their  places,  and  joined  those  of  their  comrades 
who  guarded  us  on  the  other  side.  Before  we  could  divine  the 
meaning  of  this  manoeuvre,  the  word  was  given  to  halt.  It  came 
like  a  sentence  of  death ;  for  at  the  same  moment  that  it  was 
uttered,  the  sound  of  a  volley  of  musketry  echoed  across  the 
prairie.  We  thought  of  our  comrades  and  of  our  own  probable 
fate. 

"  Kneel  down !"  now  burst  in  harsh  accents  from  the  lips  of  the 
Mexican  commander. 

No  one  stirred.  Few  of  usjinderstood  the  order,  and  those 
who  did  would  not  obey.  The  Mexican  soldiers,  who  stood  at 
about  three  paces  from  us,  levelled  their  muskets  at  our  breasts. 
Even  then  we  could  hardly  believe  that  they  meant  to  shoot  us ; 
for  if  we  had,  we  should  assuredly  have  rushed  forward  in  our 
desperation,  and  weaponless  though  we  were,  some  of  our  mur 
derers  would  have  met  their  death  at  our  hands.  Only  one  of  our 
number  was  well  acquainted  with  Spanish,  and  even  he  seemed 
as  if  he  could  not  comprehend  the  order  that  had  been  given. 
He  stared  at  the  commanding-officer  as  if  awaiting  its  repetition, 
and  we  stared  at  him,  ready,  at  the  first  word  he  should  utter,  to 
spring  upon  the  soldiers.  But  he  seemed  to  be,  as  most  of  us 
were,  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  demonstration  was  merely 
a  menace,  used  to  induce  us  to  enter  the  Mexican  service. 
With  threatening  gesture  and  drawn  sword,  the  chief  of  the  assas 
sins  again  ejaculated  the  command  to  kneel  down.  The  sound 
of  a  second  volley,  in  a  different  direction  from  the  first,  just 

$4* 


S90 

then  reached  our  ears,  and  was  followed  by  a  confused  cry,  as  if 
those  at  whom  it  had  been  aimed,  had  not  at  all  been  immedi 
ately  killed.  Our  comrade,  the  one  who  understood  Spanish, 
started  from  his  momentary  lethargy,  and  boldly  addressed  us.- 

"  Comrades,'7  cried  he,  "  you  hear  that  report,  that  cry  !  There 
is  no  hope  for  us — our  last  hour  is  come!  Therefore,  com 
rades—!" 

A  terrible  explosion  interrupted  him — and  then  all  was  still. 
A  thick  cloud  of  smoke  was  wreathing  and  curling  towards  the 
St.  Antonio.  The  blood  of  our  lieutenant  was  on  my  clothes,  and 
around  me  lay  my  friends,  convulsed  by  th$  last  agony.  I  saw 
nothing  more.  Unhurt  myself,  I  sprang  up,  and,  concealed  by  the 
thick  smoke,  fled  along  the  side  of  the  hedge  in  the  direction  of 
the  river,  the  noise  of  the  water  for  my  guide.  Suddenly  a  blow 
from  a  heavy  sabre  fell  upon  my  head,  and  from  out  of  the  smoke 
emerged  the  form  of  a  little  Mexican  lieutenant.  He  aimed  a 
second  blow  at  me,  which  I  parried  with  my  left  arm.  I  had 
nothing  to  risk,  but  everything  to  gain.  It  was  life  or  death. 
Behind  me  a  thousand  bayonets,  before  me  the  almost  powerless 
sword  of  a  coward.  I  rushed  upon  him,  and  with  true  Mexican 
valour,  he  fled  from  an  unarmed  man.  On  I  went,  the  river  rolled 
at  my  feet,  the  soldiers  were  shouting  and  yelling  behind.  *'  Texas 
for  ever !"  cried  I,  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  plunged 
into  the  water.  The  bullets  whistled  round  me  as  I  swam  slowly 
and  wearily  to  the  other  side,  but  none  wounded  me.  Our  poor 
dog,  who  had  been  with  us  all  through  the  campaign,  and  had 
jumped  into  the  river  with  me,  fell  a  last  sacrifice  to  Mexican 
cruelty.  He  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  stream,  when  a  ball 
struck  him,  and  he  disappeared. 

Whilst  these  horrible  scenes  were  occurring  in  the  prairie, 
Colonel  Fanning  and  his  wounded  companions  were  shot  and 
bayoneted  at  Goliad,  only  Doctor  Thackleford  and  a  few  hospital 
aids  having  their  lives  spared,  in  order  that  they  might  attend  on 
the  wounded  Mexicans.  Besides  Mr.  Ehrenberg,  but  three  of  the 
prisoners  at  Goliad  ultimately  escaped  the  slaughter. 

Having  crossed  the  St.  Antonio,  Mr.  Ehrenberg  struck  into  the 


391 

high  grass  and  thickets,  which  concealed  him  from  the  pursuit  of 
the  Mexicans,  and  wandered  through  the  prairie,  guiding  himself 
as  best  he  might,  by  sun  and  stars,  and  striving  to  reach  the  river 
Brazos.  He  lost  his  way,  and  want  through  a  variety  of  striking 
adventures,  which,  with  some  characteristic  sketches  of  Texian 
life  and  habits,  of  General  Sam  Houston  and  Santa  Anna,  and  a 
spirited  account  of  the  battle  of  St.  Jacinto,  at  which,  however,  he 
himself  was  not  present,  fill  up  the  remainder  of  his  book.  Of 
one  scene,  between  Houston  and  his  army,  we  will  make  a  final 
extract : 

It  was  the  latter  end  of  March,  and  the  army  of  Texian  militia, 
under  Houston,  which  had  increased  to  about  thirteen  hundred 
men,  was  assembled  on  the  banks  of  the  Colorado  river.  One 
messenger  after  another  had  arrived,  bringing  news  that  had  con 
verted  them  into  perfect  cannibals,  thirsting  after  Mexican  blood. 
The  murder  of  Grant  and  his  horsemen,  that  of  Johnson  and 
King  with  their  detachments ;  the  unaccountable  disappearance 
of  Ward,  who  was  wandering  about  in  the  prairie;  and  finally, 
Horton's  report  of  the  capture  of  the  unfortunate  Fanning:  all 
these  calamities,  in  conjunction  with  the  fall  of  the  Alamo,  had 
raised  the  fury  of  the  backwoodsmen  to  such  a  pitch,  that  they 
were  neither  to  hold  nor  bind,  and  nobody  but  Sam  Houston 
would  have  been  able  to  curb  them. 

The  old  general  sat  upon  a  heap  of  saddles ;  and  in  a  circle 
round  a  large  fire,  sat  or  stood,  leaning  upon  their  rifles,  the  cap 
tains  of  the  militia.  The  whole  group  was  surrounded  by  a 
grumbling  crowd  of  backwoodsmen.  The  dark  fiery  eyes  of  the 
officers,  nearly  all  tall  powerful  figures,  glanced  alternately  at  the 
flames  and  at  old  Sam,  who  was  the  only  calm  person  present. 
Slowly  taking  a  small  knife  from  his  waistcoat  pocket,  he  opened 
it,  produced  a  huge  piece  of  Cavendish,  cut  off  a  quid,  shoved  it 
between  his  upper  lip  and  frdnt  teeth,  and  handed  the  tobacco  to 
his  nearest  neighbour.  This  was  a  gigantic  captain,  the  upper 
part  of  whose  body  was  clothed  in  an  Indian  hunting-coat,  his 
head  covered  with  what  had  once  been  a  fine  beaver  hat,  but  of 
which  the  broad-brirn  now  flapped  down  over  his  ears,  whilst  hi 


392 

» 

strong  muscular  legs  were  wrapped  from  knee  to  ankle  in  thick 
crimson  flannel,  a  precaution  against  the  thorns  of  the  muskeet- 
trees  not  unfrequently  adopted  in  the  west.  His  bullet-pouch  was 
made  out  of  the  head  of  a  leopard,  in  which  eyes  of  red  cloth 
had  been  inserted,  bringing  out,  by  contrast,  the  beauty  of  the 
skin,  and  was  suspended  from  a  strap  of  brown  untanned  deer- 
hide.  With  an  expression  of  great  bitterness,  the  backwoodsman 
handed  the  tobacco  to  the  man  next  to  him ;  and  it  passed  on 
from  hand  to  hand,  untasted  by  any  one — a  sign  of  uncommon 
excitement  amongst-the  persons  there  assembled.  When  the  des 
pised  Cavendish  had  gone  the  round,  the  old  general  stuck  it  in 
his  pocket  again,  and  continued  the  conference,  at  the  same  time 
whittling  a  stick  with  perfect  coolness  and  unconcern. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  tell  you  that  our  affairs  look  rather  ticklish 
— can't  deny  it— but  that  is  the  only  thing  that  will  bring  the 
people  to  their  senses.  Santa  Anna  may  destroy  the  colonies,  but 
it  won't  be  Sam  Houston's  fault.  Instead  of  at  once  assembling, 
the  militia  stop  at  home  with  their  wives — quite  comfortable  in 
the  chimney  corner — think  that  a  handful  of  volunteers  can  whip 
ten  thousand  of  these  half-bloods."  Quite  mistaken,  gentlemen — 
quite  mistaken.  You  see  it  now — the  brave  fellows  are  gone — a 
scandal  it  is  for  us — and  the  enemy  is  at  our  heels.  Instead  of 
seeing  four  or  five  thousand  of  our  people  here,  there  are  thirteen 
hundred — the  others  are  minding  the  shop — making  journeys  to 
the  Sabine.  Can't  help  it  comrades,  must  retire  to  the  Brazos, 
into  the  forests — must  be  off,  and  that  at  once." 

41  Stop,  general,  that  aint't  sense,"  cried  a  man,  with  a  cap  made 
out  of  a  -wild-cat's  skin  ;  "  not  a  step  backwards — the  enemy  must 
soon  come,. and  then  we'll  whip  'em  so  glorious,  that  it  will  be  a 
pleasure  to  see  it ;  the  miserable  vampires  that  they  are  !" 

"  A  fight !  a  fight  ?"  shouted  the  surrounding  throng.  "  For 
Texas,  now  or  never !" 

"Sam  Houston  is  not  of  that  opinion,  my  fine  fellows," 
answered  the  general,  "  and  it  is  not  his  will  to  fight.  Sam  will 
not  risk  the  fate  of  the  republic  in  a  single  foolhardy  battle.  The 
broad  woods  of  the  Brazos  shall  do  us  good  service.  Though  you 


393 

are  brave,  and  willing  to  risk  your  lives,  it  would  be  small  benefit 
to  the  country  if  you  lost  them.  No,  my  boys,  we'll  give  it  to  the 
vermin,  nev«r  fear ;  they  shall  have  it,  as  sure  as  Sam  Houston 
stands  in  his  own  shoes." 

"  It's  impossible  'for  us  to  go  back,  general,"  cried  another 
speaker ;  u  can't  be — must  at  'em  !  What,  general,  our  richest 
plantations  lie  between  the  Colorado  and  the  Brazos,  and  are  we 
to  abandon  them  to  these  thieves  ?  Old  Austin  *  would  rise  out 
of  his  grave  if  he  heard  the  footsteps  of  the  murderers  upon  the 
prairie.  No,  General — must  be  at  them — must  conquer  or  die !" 

"  Must  conquer  or  die !"  was  echoed  through  the  crowd  ;  but 
the  old  general  sat  whittling  away,  as  cool  as  a  cucumber,  and 
seemed  determined  that  the  next  victory  he  gained  should  be  in 
his  own  camp. 

**  Boys,"  said  he — and  he  stood  up,  took  another  quid,  shut  his 
knife,  and  continued — "  Boys,  you  want  to  fight — very  praisewor 
thy  indeed — your  courage  is  certainly  very  praiseworthy ; — but 
suppose  the  enemy  brings  artillery  with  him,  can  you,  will  you, 
take  the  responsibility  of  giving  battle  before  our  tardy  fellow- 
citizens  come  up  to  reinforce  us?.  How  will  you  answer  it  to 
your  consciences,  if  the  republic  falls  back  under  the  Mexican 
yoke,  because  an  undisciplined  mob  would  not  wait  the  favorable 
moment  for  a  fight  ?  No,  no,  citizens — we  must  retire  to  the  Bra 
zos,  where  our  rifles  will  give  us  the  advantage ;  whilst  here  we 
should  have  to  charge  the  enemy,  who  is  five  times  our  strength, 
in  the  open  prairie.  Don't  doubt  your  courage,  as  you  call  it — 
though  it's  only  foolhardiness — but  I  represent  the  republic,  and 
am  answerable  to  the  whole  people  for  what  I  do.  Can't  allow 
you  to  fight  here.  Once  more  I  summon  you  to  follow  me  to 
San  Felipe,  and  all  who  wish  well  to  Texas  will  be  ready  in  an 
hour's  time.  Every  moment  we  may  expect  to  see  the  enemy  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river.  Once  more  then — to  the  banks  of 
the  Brazos !" 


*  The  founder  of  the  American  colonies  in  Texas,  and  father  of  Stephen 
F  Austin. 


394 

The  old  general  walked  off  to  his  tent,  and  the  crowd  betook 
themselves  to  their  fires,  murmuring  and  discontented,  and  put 
their  rifles  in  order.  But  in  an  hour  and  a  half,  the  Texian  army 
left  their  camp  on  the  Colorado.  Sam  Houston  had  prevailed,  and 
the  next  evening  he  and  his  men  reached  San  Felipe,  and,  with 
out  pausing  there,  marched  up  the  river.  On  the  30th  March  the 
first  squadron  of  the  enemy  showed  itself  near  San  Felipe.  The 
inhabitants  abandoned  their  well-stored  shops  and  houses,  set  fire 
to  them  with  their  own  hands,  and  fled  across  the  river.  The 
Mexicans  entered  the  town,  and  their  rage  was  boundless  when, 
instead  of  a  rich  booty,  they  found  heaps  of  ashes.  Houston  had 
now  vanished,  and^his  foes  could  nowhere  trace  him,  till  he  sud 
denly,  and  of  his  own  accord,  reappeared  upon  the  scene,  and  fell 
on  them  like  a  thunderbolt,  amply  refuting  the  false  and  base 
charge  brought  against  him  by  his  enemies,  that  he  had  retreated 
through  cowardice.  But  to  this  day  it  is  a  riddle  to  me  how  he 
managed  to  reduce  to  obedience  the  unruly  spirits  he  commanded, 
and  to  induce  them  to  retreat  across  the  Brazos  to  Buffalo  Bayou. 
Of  one  thing  I  am  certain — only  Sam  Houston  could  have  done 
it ;  no  other  man  in  the  republic. 

Mr.  Ehrenberg  escaped  from  all  his  perils  in  time  to  share  the 
rejoicings  of  the  Texians  at  the  final  evacuation  of  the  country 
by  the  Mexican  army.  And  certainly  they  had  cause  for  exulta 
tion,  not  only  at  being  rid  of  their  cruel  and  semi-barbarous 
oppressors,  but  in  the  persevering  gallantry  they  had  displayed 
throughout  the  whole  campaign,  during  which  many  errors  were 
committed  and  many  lives  uselessly  sacrificed,  but  of  which  the 
close  was  nevertheless  so  glorious  to  tho*se  engaged  in  it. 
Unskilled  in  military  tactics,  without  discipline  or  resources,  the 
stubborn  courage  of  a  handful  of  American  backwoodsmen  proved 
an  overmatch  for  Santa  Anna  and  his  hosts,  and  the  fairest  and 
freshest  leaf  of  the  Mexican  cactus  was  rent  from  the  parent  stem, 
never  to  be  reunited.* 

*  The  arms  of  Mexico  are  a  cactus,  with  as  man;  leaves  as  there  are 
states  of  the  republic. 


THE  ESCAPE. 

A    TALE    OF   NAVARRE. 

IT  was  about  an  hour  after  sunset,  and  contrary  to  what  is  usual 
in  the  early  part  of  autumn  in  Spain,  the  night  was  dark  and  cloudy. 
A  slight  mist  rose  from  the  fields  surrounding  the  village,  and  a 
fine  rain  began  to  fall.  In  the  guard-room  adjoining  the  house 
in  which  Luis  Herrera  was  prisoner,  the  soldiers  on  duty  were 
assembled  round  a  rickety  table,  on  which  a  large,  coarse  tallow" 
candle,  stuck  in  a  bottle,  flared  and  guttered,  and  emitted  an 
odor  even  more  powerful  than  that  of  the  tobacco  smoke  with  which 
the  room  was  filled.  The  air  was  heavy,  the  heat  oppressive,  and 
both  the  house-door  and  that  of  the  guard-room,  which  was  at 
right  angles  to  it,  just  within  the  passage,  were  left  open.  Whilst 
some  few  of  the  men,  their  arms  crossed  upon  the  table,  and  their 
heads  laid  upon  them,  dozed  away  the  time  till  their  turn  for 
going  on  sentry  should  arrive,  the  sergeant  and  the  remainder  of 
the  guard,  including  a  young  recruit  who  had  only  two  days  before 
deserted  from  the  Christinos  and  been  incorporated  in  a  Carlist 
battalion,  consumed  successive  measures  of  wine,  to  be  paid  for 
by  those  who  were  least  successful  in  a  trial  of  skill  that  was 
going  on  amongst  them.  This  consisted  in  drinking  de  alto,  as  it 
is  called — literally,  from  a  height — and  was  accomplished  by  hold 
ing  a  small  narrow-necked  bottle  at  arm's  length  above  the  head, 
and  allowing  the  wine  to  flow  in  a  thin  stream  into  the  mouth. 
In  this  feat  of  address  the  new  recruit,  whose  name  was  Perrico, 
was  so  successful  as  to  excite  the  envy  of  his  less  dexterous 
rivals. 

"Pshaw!"  said  the  sergeant,  who,  in  a  clumsily  executed 
attempt,  had  inundated  his  chin  and  moustache  with  the  purple 

805 


396 

liquid — "  Pshaw  !"  said  he,  on  seeing  the  deserter  raise  his  bottle 
in  the  <iir  and  allow  its  contents  to  trickle  steadily  and  noiselessly 
down  his  expanded  gullet ;  "  Perrico  beats  us  all." 

"No  wonder,"  said  a  soldier,  "he  is  from  the  country  where 
Grenache  and  Tinto  are  more  plentiful  than  water,  and  where 
nobody  drinks  in  any  other  way,  or  ever  puts  a  glass  to  his  lips. 
He  is  a  Catalan." 

"  An  Arragonese,"  hastily  interrupted  Perrico,  eager  to  vindi 
cate  himself  from  belonging  to  a  province  which  the  rough  man 
ners  and  harsh  dialect  of  its  inhabitants  cause  generally  to  be 
held  in  small  estimation  throughout  the  rest  of  Spain.  "An 
Arragonese,  from  the  siempre  heroica  Sarragossa." 

"It  is  all  one,"  said  the  sergeant  with  a  horse-laugh;  "  all  of 
the  corona  de  Aragon,  as  the  Catalans  say  when  they  are  ashamed 
of  their  country.  But  what  induced  you,  Don  Perrico,  being 
from  Sarragossa,  where  they  are  all  as  revolutionary  as  Kiego,  to 
leave 'the  service  of  the  Neapolitan  woman  and  come  over  to 
Charles  V.?" 

"  Many  things,"  answered  the  deserter.  "  In  the  first  place,  I 
am  of  a  thirsty  family.  My  father  kept  a  wine-shop  and  my 
mother  was  a  cantiniera,  and  both  drank  as  much  as  they  sold. 
I  inherited  an  unfortunate  addiction  to  the  wine-skin,  which  upon 
several  occasions  has  brought  me  into  trouble  and  the  black-hole. 
The  latter  did  not  please  me,  and  I  resolved  to  try  whether  I  should 
not  find  better  treatment  in  the  service  of  King  Charles." 

"Not  if  you  have  brought  your  thirst  with  you,"  answered  the 
sergeant.  "  Zumalacarregui  does  not  joke  in  masters  of  disci 
pline  ;  so,  if  your  thirst  troubles  you  here,  I  advise  you  to  quench 
it  at  the  pump.  But  that  will  be  the  easier,  as  neither  wine  nor 
money  are  likely  to  be  over-abundant  with  us." 

At  this  moment,  and  before  Perrico  could  reply  to  the  ser 
geant's  warning,  the  sentry  in  front  of  the  house  suspended  his 
walk  and  uttered  a  sharp  "  Quien  vive  ?" 

"  Carlos  Quinto,"  was  the  reply. 

Another  password  was  exchanged,  and  then  a  step  was  audible 
in  the  passage,  and  the  bandaged  head  and  pale  face  of  Paco 


397 

appeared  at  the  door  of  the  guard-room.     The  muleteer  was 
received  with  a  cry  of  welcome  from  the  soldiers. 

"  Hurra !"  cried  the  sergeant,  "  here  is  your  match,  Perrico. 
No  Catalan  or  Arragonese,  but  a  jolly  Navarro.  A  week's  pay 
to  a  wet  cartridge,  he  empties  this  bottle  de  alto  without  spilling  a 
drop." 

And  he  held  out  one  of  the  small  bottles  before  mentioned,  which 
contained  something  like  an  English  pint.  Paco  took  it,  raised  it 
high  as  he  could  in  the  air,  and  gradually  depressing  the  neck, 
the  wine  poured  out  in  a  slender  and  continuous  stream,  which 
the  multeer,  his  head  thrown  back,  caught  in  his  mouth.  The 
bottle  was  emptied  without  a  single  drop  being  spilt,  or  a  stain 
appearing  on  the  face  of  the  drinker. 

"  Bravo,  Paco,"  cried  the  soldiers. 

**  Could  not  be  better,"  said  Perrico. 

"You  are  making  a  jolly  guard  of  it,"  said  Paco.  "Wine 
,jems  as  common  as  ditch-water  amongst  you.  Who  pays  the 
shot !" 

"  I !"  cried  the  sergeant,  clapping  his  hand  on  his  pocket,  which 
gave  forth  a  sound  most  harmoniously  metallic.  "  I  have  inhe 
rited,  friend  Paco  ;  and,  if  you  like  to  sit  down  with  us,  you  shall 
drink  yourself  blind  without  its  costing  you  an  ochuvd." 

"  'Twould  hardly  suit  my  broken  head,"  returned  the  muleteer. 
"  But  from  whom  have  you  inherited !  From  the  dead  or  the 
living  ?" 

"  The  living,  to  be  sure,"  replied  the  sergeant,  laughing.  "  From 
a  fat  Christino  alcalde,  with  whom  I  fell  in  the  other  morning 
upon  the  Salvatierra  road.  His  saddle-bags  were  worth  the  rum 
maging." 

"  I  can't  drink  myself,"  said  Paco ;  "  but  let  me  take  out  a  glass 
to  poor  Bias,  who  is  walking  up  and  down,  listening  to  the  jingle 
of  the  bottles,  as  tantalized  as  a  mule  at  the  door  of  a  corn-store.'' 

"  Against  the  regulations/'  said  the  sergeant.  "  Wait  till  he 
comes  off  sentry,  and  he  shall  have  a  skinful." 

"  Pooh  !"  said  Paco,  "  a  cup  of  wine  will  break  no  bones,  on 
aentry  or  off." 

34     ' 


398 

And  taking  advantage  of  the  excellent  humor  in  which  his 
potations  had  put  the  non-commissioned  officer,  he  filled  a  large 
earthen  mug  with  wine,  and  left  the  room. 

The  sentinel  was  leaning  against  the  house-wall,  his  coat-skirt 
wrapped  round  the  lock  of  his  musket  to  protect  it  from  the  driz 
zling  rain,  and  looking  as  if  he  would  gladly  have  exchanged  his 
solitary  guard  for  a  share  in  the  revels  of  his  comrades,  when 
Paco  came  out,  the  cup  of  wine  in  his  hand,  and  whistling  in  a 
loud  key  a  popular  Basque  melody.  The  soldier  took  the  wel 
come  beverage  from  the  muleteer,  unsuspicious  of  any  other  than 
a  friendly  motive  on  the  part  of  Paco,  raised  it  to  his  lips,  and 
drank  it  slowly  off,  as  if  to  make  the  pleasure  of  the  draught  as 
long  as  possible.  Thus  engaged,  he  did  not  observe  a  man  lurk 
ing  in  the  shadow  of  an  opposite  barn,  and  who,  taking  advantage 
of  the  sentinel's  momentary  inattention,  and  of  the  position  of 
Paco,  who  stood  so  as  to  mask  his  movements  from  the  soldier, 
glided  across  the  street,  darted  into  the  house,  and,  passing  unseen 
and  unheard  before  the  open  door  of  the  guard-room,  nimbly  and 
noiselessly  ascended  the  stairs. 

The  sentinel  drained  the  cup  to  the  last  drop,  returned  it  to 
Paco,  gave  a  deep  sigh  of  satisfaction,  and  began  marching  briskly 
up  and  down.  Paco  re-entered  the  guard  room,  and  placed  the 
cup  upon  the  table. 

The  wine  was  beginning  to  make  visible  inroads  on  the  sobri 
ety  of  some  of  the  soldiers,  and  the  propriety  of  putting  an  end 
to  the  debauch  occurred  to  the  non-commissioned  officer. 

"  Come,  boys,"  cried  he,  "  knock  off  from  drinking,  or  you'  11 
hardly  go  through  your  facings,  if  required." 

"Only  one  glass  more,  sergeant,"  cried  Perrico.  "There  is 
still  a  pleasant  tinkle  in  the  borracka" 

And  he  shook  the  large  leathern  bottle  which  held  the  supply 
of  wine. 

"  Only  one  more,  then,"  said  the  sergeant,  unable  to  resist  the 
temptation,  and  holding  out  his  glass.  Perrico  filled  it  to  the 
brim,  and  afterwards  did  the  same  for  three  soldiers  who  still  kept 
their  places  at  the  table,  the  others  having  composed  themselves 


399 

to  sleep  upon  the  benches  round  the  room.  For  himself,  however, 
as  Paco,  who  stood  behind  him,  had  opportunity  of  observing,  the 
deserter  poured  out  little  or  nothing,  though  he  kept  the  cup  at 
his  lips  as  long  as  if  it  were  drinking  an  equal  share  with  his 
comrades. 

"  Now,"  said  the  sergeant,  thumping  his  glass  upon  the  table, 
"  not  another  drop.  And  you,  Master  Perrico,  though  your  father 
did  keep  a  wine-shop,  and  your  mother  carry  the  brandy-keg,  let 
me  advise  you  to  put  your  head  under  the  fountain,  and  then  lie 
down  and  sleep  till  your  turn  for  sentry.  It  will  come  in  an  hour 
or  two." 

"  And  where  shall  I  be  posted  ?"  hiccuped  Perrico,  who,  to  all 
appearance,  began  to  fell  the  effects  of  the  strong  Navarrese 
wine. 

"  Under  the  prisoners'  window,"  was  the  reply,  "  where  you  will 
need  to  keep  a  bright  look-out.  I.  would  not  be  in  your  jacket 
for  a  colonel's  commission  if  they  were  to  escape  during  your 
guard.  To-morrow's  firing  party  would  make  a  target  of  you." 

"  No  fear,"  replied  the  young  man.  "  I  could  drink  another 
azumbre  and  be  none  the  worse  for  it." 

"  Fanfarron  /"  said  the  sergeant ;  "  you  talk  big  enough  for  an 
Andalusian  instead  of  an  Arragonese." 

And  so  saying,  the  worthy  sergeant  walked  to  the  door  of  the 
house  to  cool  his  own  temples,  which  he  felt  were  somewhat  of 
the  hottest,  in  the  night  air.  Paco  wished  him  good-night ;  and 
lighting  a  long,  thin  taper,  composed  of  tow  dipped  in  rosin,  at 
the  guard-room  candte,  ascended  the  stairs  to  his  own  dormi 
tory. 

The  room,  or  rather  kennel,  appropriated  to  the  lodging  of  the 
muleteer,  was  a  triangular  garret,  already  described,  formed  by  the 
ceiling  of  the  upper  story  and  the  roof  of  the  house,  which  rose 
in  an  obtuse  angle  above  it.  Its  greatest  elevation  was  about  six 
feet,  and  that  only  in  the  centre,  whence  the  tiles  slanted  down 
wards  on  either  side  to  the  beams  by  which  the  floor  was  sup 
ported.  The  entrance  was  by  a  step-ladder,  and  through  a  trap 
door,  against  which,  when  he  reached  it,  Paco  gave  two  very  ilight 


400 

but  peculiar  taps.  Thereupon  a  bolt  was  cautiously  withdrawn, 
and  the  trap  raised ;  the  muleteer  completed  the  ascent  of  tho 
steps,  entered  the  loft,  and  found  himself  face  to  face  with  Jaime 
the  gipsy. 

"  Did  no  one  see  you  ?"  asked  Paco  in  a  cautious  whisper. 

"No  one,"  replied  the  esquilador,  reseating  himself  uponPaco's 
bed,  from  which  he  had  risen  to  give  admittance  to  the  muleteer. 
The  bed  consisted  of  a  wooden  catre  or  frame,  supporting  a  large 
square  bag  of  the  coarsest  sackcloth,  half  full  of  dried  maize- 
leaves,  and  having  a  rent  in  the  centre,  through  which  to  intro 
duce  the  arm,  and  shake  up  the  contents.  The  only  other  fur 
niture  of  the  room  was  a  chair  with  a Tbroken  back.  On  the  floor 
lay  the  gipsy's  wallet,  and  his  abarcas,  which  he  had  taken  off  to 
avoid  noise  during  his  clandestine  entrance  into  the  house.  The 
gipsy  himself  was  busy  tying  a  slip-knot  at  the  end  of  a  stout 
rope  about  seven  or  eight  yards  long.  Another  piece  of  cord, 
of  similar  length  and  thickness,  lay  beside  him,  having  much  the 
appearance  of  a  halter,  owing  to  the  noose  already  made  at  one 
of  its  extremities.  The  tiles  and  rafters  covering  the  room  were 
green  with  damp,  and  through  various  small  apertures,  allowed 
the  wind  and  even  the  rain  to  enter  with  a  facility  which  would 
have  rendered  the  abode  untenable  for  a  human  inhabitant  during 
any  but  the  summer  season.  In  one  of  the  slopes  of  the  roof  war 
an  opening  in  the  tiles,  at  about  four  feet  from  the  floor,  closed 
by  a  wooden  door,  and  large  enough  to  give  egress  to  a  man.  To 
this  opening  Paco  now  pointed. 

"Through  there,"  said  he. 

The  gipsy  nodded. 

"  The  roof  is  strong,"  continued  Paco,  "  and  will  bear  us  well. 
We  creep  along  the  top  till  we  get  to  the  chimney  at  the  furthe 
end,  just  above  the  window  of  the  prisoner's  room.  I  hav< 
explained  to  you  what  is  then  to  be  done." 

"  It  is  hazardous,"  said  the  gipsy.  "If -a  tile  slips  under  our 
feet,  or  the  sentries  catch  sight  of  us,  we  shall  be  picked  off  the 
house-top  like  sparrows." 

"  Perfectly  true,"  «aid  Paco ;  "  but  th«  tile»  will  not  slip,  and 


401 

the  night  is  too  dark  for  the  sentries  to  see  us.  Besides,  friend 
Jaime,  ten  ounces  are  not  to  be  earned  by  saying  paternosters,  or 
without  risk." 

"  Risk  enough  already,"  grumbled  the  gipsy.  "  At  this  hour  I 
ought  to  be  five  leagues  away,  and  if  he,  on  whose  service  I  was 
bound,  finds  out  that  I  have  tarried,  no  tree  in  the  sierra  will  be 
too  high  to  hang  me  on." 

"You  must  hope  that  he  will  not  find  it  out,"  said  Paco, 
coolly. 

"  Did  you  give  the  prisoner  a  hint  of  our  plan  ?"  inquired  the 
gitano. 

"  I  was  unable.  I  visit  him  but  once  a-day,  to  take  him  to  his 
rations,  and  that  at  noon.  Since  I  arranged  this  plan,  I  endea 
vored  to  get  admittance  to  him,  but  was  repulsed  by  the.  sentry. 
To  have  insisted  would  have  excited  suspicion.  He  knows,  how 
ever,  that  he  is  to  be  shot  to-morrow,  and  is  not  likely  to  be 
asleep." 

Just  then  the  deep  sonorous  bell  of  the  neighboring  church- 
clock  struck  the  hour.  The  two  men  listened,  and  counted  ten 
strokes. 

"  Is  it  time  I"  said  the  gipsy,  who  had  completed  the  noose  upon 
the  second  rope. 

"  Not  yet,"  replied  Paco ;  "  let  another  hour  strike.  Till  then, 
not  another  word." 

The  muleteer  extinguished  the  light  and  seated  himself  down 
upon  the  broken  chair ;  the  gipsy  stretched  himself  upon  the  bed, 
and  all  was  silent  and  dark  in  the  garret.  Gradually,  the  slight 
murmuring  sounds  which  still  issued  from  various  houses  of  the 
little  village  became  hushed,  as  the  inmates  betook  themselves  to 
rest;  and  Paco,  who  waited  with  anxious  impatience  till  the 
moment  for  action  should  arrive,  heard  nothing  but  the  heavy 
breathing  of  the  esquilador,  who  had  sunk  into  a  restless  slum 
ber.  Half-past  ten  was  tolled;  the  challenging  of  the  sentries 
was  heard  as  they  were  visited  by  the  rounds;  and  then  soon 
afterwards  came  the  long-drawn  admonition  of  "  Sentinela 
alerta  /"  from  the  main  guard,  replied  to  in  sharp,  quick  tones  by 

34* 


402 

the  "  Alerta  esta  "  of  the  sentries.  At  length  eleven  struck,  ana 
when  the  reverberation  of  the  last  stroke  had  died  away,  Pace 
rose  from  his  chair,  and  shook  his  companion  from  his  sleep. 

"  It  is  time,"  said  he. 

The  gipsy  started  iip. 

"  The  money  ?"  was  his  first  question. 

Paco  placed  a  small  bag  in  the  esquilador's  hand,  which  closed 
eagerly  upon  it. 

"  I  promised  you  ten  ounces,"  said  the  muleteer,  "  and  you  have 
them  there.  When  you  bring  me  a  line  in  the  handwriting  of 
the  prisoner,  dated  from  a  Christino  town,  you  shall  receive  a  like 
sum.  But  beware  of  playing  false,  gitano.  Others,  more  pow 
erful  than  myself,  are  concerned  in  this  affair,  and  will  know  how 
to  punish  treachery." 

The  gipsy  made  no  reply,  but  feeling  for  his  wallet,  put  his  san 
dals  and  one  of  the  ropes  into  it,  and  fastened  it  on  his  shoulders. 
Paco  slipped  off  his  shoes,  twisted  the  other  rope  round  his  body, 
and  opening  the  door  in  the  tiles,  in  an  instant  was  on  the  top  of 
the  house.  The  esquilador  followed.  Upon  their  hands  and  feet 
the  two  men  ascended  the  gradual  slope  of  the  roof  till  they 
reached  the  ridge  in  its  centre,  upon  which  they  got  astride,  and 
worked  themselves  slowly  and  silently  along  towards  that  end  of 
the  building  in  which  Herrera  was  confined.  Owing  to  the  pro 
found  darkness,  and  to  the  extreme  caution  with  which  Paco,  who 
led  the  way,  proceeded,  their  progress  was  very  gradual,  and  at 
last  an  actual  stop  was  put  to  it  by  a  small  but  solidly-built  stone 
chimney  which  rose  out  of  the  summit,  and  within  a  foot  of  the 
extremity  of  the  house.  Paco  untwisted  the  rope  from  round  his 
body  and  handed  it  to  the  gipsy,  retaining  one  end  in  his  hand. 
The  esquilador  fixed  the  noose  about  his  middle,  and  altering  his 
position,  passed  Paco,  scrambled  round  the  chimney,  and  seated 
himself  on  the  verge  of  the  roof,  his  legs  dangling  over.  Paco 
gave  a  turn  of  the  rope  round  the  chimney,  and  then  leaning  for 
ward  from  behind  it,  put  his  mouth  to  the  gipsy's  ears,  and  spoke 
in  one  of  those  suppressed  whispers  which  seem  scarcely  to  pass 
the  lips  of  the  speaker. 


403 

"  Remember,"  said  he,  "  ten  ounces,  or  " 

A  significant  motion  of  his  hand  round  his  throat,  completed 
the  sentence  in  a  manner  doubtless  comprehensible  Enough  to  the 
esquilador.  The  latter  now  turned  himself  about,  and  supported 
himself  with  his  breast  and  arms  upon  the  roof,  his  legs  and  the 
lower  part  of  his  body  hanging  against  the  side  wall  of  the  house. 
Paco  kept  his  seat  behind  the  chimney,  astride  as  before,  and 
gathering  up  the  rope,  held  it  firmly.  Gradually  the  gipsy  slid 
down;  his  breast  was  off  the  roof,  then  his  arms,  and  he  merely 
hung  on  by  his  hands.  His  hold  was  then  transferred  to  the  rope 
above  his  head,  of  which  one  end  was  round  his  waist  and  the 
other  in  the  hands  of  Paco.  All  this  was  effected  with  a  caution 
and  absence  of  noise  truly  extraordinary,  and  proving  wonderful 
coolness  and  habit  of  danger  on  the  part  of  the  two  actors  in  the 
strange  scene.  As  the  gipsy  hung  suspended  in  the  air,  Paco 
began  gradually  paying  out  the  rope,  inch  by  inch.  This  process, 
owing  to  the  light  weight  of  the  gipsy,  and  to  the  check  given  to 
the  running  of  the  cord  by  the  chimney  round  which  it  was 
turned,  he  was  enabled  without  difficulty  to  accomplish  and  regu 
late.  In  a  brief  space  of  time  a  sensible  diminution  of  the  strain 
warned  him  that  the  gitano  had  found  some  additional  means  of 
support.  For  the  space  of  about  three  minutes,  Paco  sat  still, 
holding  the  rope  firmly,  but  giving  out  no  more  of  it ;  then  pull 
ing  towards  him,  he  found  it  come  to  his  hand  without  opposition. 
He  drew  it  all  in,  again  twisted  it  about  his  body,  and  lying  down 
upon  his  belly,  put  his  head  over  the  edge  of  the  tiles  to  see  what 
was  passing  beneath.  All  was  quiet;  no . light  was  visible  from 
the  window  of  Herrera's  room,  which  was  at  about  a  dozen  feet 
below  him.  The  mist  and  thick  darkness  prevented  any  view  of 
the  sentry ;  but  he  could  hear  the  sound  of  his  footsteps,  and  tho 
burden  of  the  royalist  ditty  which  he  was  churraing  between 
his  teeth.  » % 

Whilst  all  this  took  place,  Luis  Herrera,  unsuspicious  of  the 
efforts  that  were  making  for  his  rescue,  sat  alone  in  his  room, 
which  was  dimly  lighted  by  an  ill-trimmed  lamp.  Twelve  hours 
bad  elapsed  since  he  ha-i  been  informed  of  the  fate  that  awaited 


404 

him ;  in  twelve  more  his  race  would  be  run,  and  he  should  bid 
adieu  to  life,  with  its  hopes  and  cares,  its  many  deceptions  and 
scanty  joys.  A  priest  who  had  come  to  give  him  spiritual  conso 
lation  in  his  last  hours,  had  left  him  at  sundown,  promising  to 
return  the  next  morning ;  and  since  his  departure  Herrera  had 
remained  sitting  in  one  place  nearly  in  one  posture,  thoughtful  and 
preoccupied,  but  neither  grieving  at  nor  flinching  from  the  death 
which  was  to  snatch  him  from  a  world  whereof  he  had  short  but 
sad  experience.  Alone,  and  almost  friendless,  his  affections 
blighted  and  hopes  ruined,  and  his  country  in  a  state  of  civil  war 
— all  concurred  to  make  Herrera  regard  his  approaching  death 
with  indifference.  Life,  which,  by  a  strange  contradiction,  seems 
prized  the  more  as  its  value  diminishes,  and  clung  to  with  far 
greater  eagerness  by  the  old  than  the  young,  had  for  him  few 
attractions  remaining.  Once,  and  only  once,  a  shade  of  sadness 
crept  over  his  features,  and  he  gave  utterance  to  a  deep  sigh, 
almost  a  sob,  of  regret,  as  he  drew  from  his  breast  a  small  locket 
containing  a  tress  of  golden  hair.  It  was  a  gift  of  Rita's  in  their 
happy  days,  before  they  knew  sorrow  or  foresaw  the  possibility  of 
A  separation ;  and  from  this  token,  even  when  Herrera  voluntarily 
renounced  his  claim  to  her  hand,  and  bade  her  farewell  for  ever, 
he  had  not  had  courage  to  part.  By  a  strong  effort,  he  now 
repressed  the  emotion  which  its  sight  and  the  recollections  it 
called  up,  had  occasioned  him,  and  he  became  calm  and  collected 
as  before.  Drawing  a  table  towards  him,  he  made  use  of  writing- 
materials,  which  he  had  asked  for  and  obtained,  to  commence  a 
long  letter  to  Mariano  Torres.  This  his  confessor  had  promised 
should  be  conveyed  to  his  friend. 

He  had  written  but  a  few  lines,  when  a  slight  sound  at  the 
room  window  roused  his  attention.  The  noise  was  too  trifling  to 
be  much  heeded ;  it  might  have  been  a  passing  owl  or  bat  flap 
ping  its  wing  against  the  wooden  shutter.  Herrera  resumed  his 
writing.  A  fe\v  moments  elapsed,  and  the  noise  was  again  heard. 
This  time  it  was  a  distinct  tapping  upon  the  shutter,  very  low 
and  cautious,  but  repeated  with  a  degree  of  regularity  that  argued, 
on  the  part  of  the  person  making  it,  a  desire  of  attracting  hi§ 


405 

attention.  Herrera  rose,  from  his  seat,  and  obeying  a  sort  of 
instinct  or  impulse,  for  which  he  wduld  himself  have  had  trouble 
to  account,  masked  the  lamp  behind  a  piece  of  furniture,  and  has 
tening  to  the  window,  which  opened  inwards,  cautiously  unlatched 
it.  A  man,  whose  features  were  unknown  to  him,  was  supporting 
himself  on  the  ledge  outside,  his  legs  gathered  under  him,  and  nearly 
the  whole  of  his  thin,  flexible  body  coiled  up  within  the  deep  embra 
sure  of  the  window.  Putting  his  finger  to  his  lips,  to  enjoin 
silence,  he  severed,  by  one  blow  of  a  keen  knife,  a  cord  that  encir 
cled  his  waist,  and  then  springing  lightly  and  actively  into  the 
room,  closed  the  shutter,  since  the  opening  of  which,  so  rapid  had 
been  his  movements,  not  ten  seconds  had  elapsed. 

Although  the  motive  of  this  strange  intrusion  was  entirely 
unknown  to  him,  Herrera  at  once  inferred  that  it  boded  good 
rather  than  evil.  He  was  not  long  left  in  doubt.  The  esquilador 
pointed  to  Herrera's  wounded  arm,  the  sleeve  of  which  was  still 
cut  open,  although  the  wound  was  healed,  and  the  limb  had 
regained  its  strength. 

"  Have  you  full  use  of  that  3"  said  he. 

"  I  have,"  replied  Herrera.     "  But  what  is  your  errand  here  ?" 

"  To  save  you,"  answered  the  gipsy.  "  There  is  no  time  for 
words.  We  must  be  doing." 

And  making  a  sign  to  Herrera  to  assist  him,  he  caught  hold  of 
one  end  of  the  heavy  old-fashioned  bedstead,  which  had  been 
allotted  to  the  use  of  the  wounded  prisoner,  and  with  the  utmost 
caution  to  avoid  noise,  lifted  it  from  the  ground  and  brought  it 
close  to  the  window.  Then  taking  a  rope  from  his  wallet,  he 
fastened  it  to  one  of  the  bed-posts.  Herrera  began  to  understand. 

"And  my  companions,"  said  he.  "They  also  must  be  saved. 
My  room  door  is  locked,  but  the  next  window  is  that  of  their 
apartment." 

"It  is  impossible," said  the  gipsy.  "You  may  be  saved,  per 
haps  ;  but  to  attempt  the  rescue  of  more  would  be  destruction. 
Look  here,"- 

The  gipsy  extinguished  the  lamp,  and,  stepping  upon  the  bed, 
re-opened  the  shutter,  and  drew  Herrera  towards  him. 


406 

*'  Listen,"  said  he,  in  a  low  whisper. 

The  tread  of  the  sentry  was  heard,  and  at  that  moment,  the 
glare  of  a  lantern  fell  upon  the  trees,  bordering  the  field  opposite 
the  window.  Beyond  that  field  the  ground  was  broken  and 
uneven,  covered  with  tall  bushes,  fern,  And  masses  of  rock,  am 
sloping  upwards  towards  the  neighboring  hills.  The  light  drew 
nearer ;  the  sentry  challenged.  It  was  the  relief.  Their  heads  in 
the  embrasure  of  the  window,  Herrera  and  the  gipsy  could  heai 
every  word  that  passed.  The  man  going  off  sentry  gave  over  his 
instructions  to  his  successor.  They  were  few  and  short.  Th( 
principal  was,  to  fire  upon  any  one  of  the  prisoners  who  should  s< 
much  as  show  himself  at  a  window. 

By  the  light  of  the  lantern  which  the  corporal  carried,  Pace 
who  was  still  peering  over  the  edge  of  the  roof,  distinguished  th< 
features  of  the  new  sentry.  They  were  those  of  Perrico,  th 
Christino  deserter.  The  relief  marched  away,  the  sentinel  shoul 
dered  his  musket,  and  walked  slowly  up  to  the  further  end  of  hi 
post. 

"  Now  then,"  said  the  gipsy  to  Herrera,  "  fix  the  rope  roun< 
your  waist.  We  will  let  him  pass  once  more,  and  when  he  agai; 
turns  his  back,  I  will  lower  you.  I  shall  be  on  the  ground  nearl 
as  quickly  as  yourself,  and  then  keep  close  to  me.  Take  this,  i 
may  be  useful." 

And  he  handed  him  a  formidable  clasp-knife,  of  which  th< 
curved  and  sharp-pointed  blade  was  fitted  into  a  strong  horn  han 
die.  With  some  repugnance,  but  aware  of  the  possible  necessity 
he  might  find  for  it,  Herrera  took  the  weapon.  The  rope  was 
round  his  waist,  and,  with  his  hands  upon  the  embrasure  of  tht 
window,  he  only  waited  to  spring  out  for  a  signal  from  the  gipsy 5 
who  was  watching,  as-  well  as  the  obscurity  would  permit,  the 
movements  of  the  soldier.  The  night  was  growing  lighter,  the 
wind  had  risen  and  swept  away  the  mist  from  the  fields,  overhead 
the  clouds  had  broken,  and  the  stars  were  visible,  sparkling  in 
their  setting  of  dark  blue  enamel. 

"  Now !"  said  the  gipsy,  wno  De^  tne  s^ac^  °f  the  rope 
gathered  up  in  his  hands.  "  No,  *S>p  !"  cried  he,  in  a  sharp  whis- 


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per,  checking  Herrera,who  was  about  to  jump  out,  and  draw 
ing  hastily  back.  " Hell  and  the  devil !  what  is  he  about?" 

The  window  of  the  room  was  nearly  at  the  extremity  of  the 
sentinel's  post,  so  that,  during  one  period  of  his  walk,  the  soldier's 
jpack,  owing  to  the  slow  pace  at  which  he  marched  up  und  down, 
was  turned  for  a  full  minute.  It  was  upon  this  brief  space  of  time 
that  the  gipsy  had  calculated  for  accomplishing  his  own  descent 
and  that  of  his  companion.  He  had  allowed  the  soldier  to  proceed 
twice  along  the  whole  length  of  his  post,  meaning  to  avail  himself 
of  the  third  turn  he  should  take.  But  to  his  surprise  and  per 
plexity,  when  the  man  passed  for  the  third  time,  he  left  his  usual 
track,  moved  some  twenty. paces  backwards  from  the  house,  and 
gazed  up  at  Herrera's  window.  Apparently  he  could  distinguish 
nothing  ;  for,  after  remaining  a  few  moments  stationary,  he  again 
approached  the  wall  of  the  house,  looked  cautiously  around  him, 
and,  giving  three  low  distinct  coughs,  continued  his  walk.  With 
out  pausing  to  consider  the  meaning  of  this  strange  proceeding, 
the  esquilador  cauyht.  Herrera's  arm. 

14  Out  with  you,"  said  he,  u  and  quickly  I" 

Herrera  darted  through  the  winuow,  hung  on  for  one  ihstant 
by  the  edge,  and  let  himself  go — the  gipsy,  with  a  degree  of 
strength  that  could  hardly  have  been  anticipated  in  one  so  slightly 
built,  holding  the  rope  firmly,  and  lowering  him  steadily  and 
rapidly.  The  moment  that  his  feet  touched  the  ground,  the  gipsy 
sprang  out  of  the  window,  and.  grasping  the  rope,  began  descend 
ing  by  the  aid  of  his  hands  and  feet  with  the  agility  of  a  monkey 
or  a  sailor  boy.  Before  he  vas  half-way  down,  however,  the  sen 
tinel,  who  had  reached  the  end  or  ms  walk,  began  retracing  his 
steps.  Herrera's  heart'  beat  quick.  Hastily  cutting  the  noose 
from  round  his  waist,  he  pressed  himself  against  the  wall  and 
stood  motionless,  scarcely  venturing  to  breathe.  The  sentinel 
approached.  Dark  though  it  was,  it  seemed  impossible  that  he 
did  not  already  perceive  what  was  passing.  Gliding  along  close 
to  the  wall,  Herrera  prepared  to  spring  upon  him  at  the  first 
sound  uttered,  or  dangerous  movement  made  by  him.  The  sol 
dier  drew  nearer,  paused,  let  the  butt  of  his  musket  fall  gently  to 


40$ 

the 'ground,  and  clasped  his  hands  over  the  muzzle  flenw 
made  a  bound  forward,  and  clutching  his  throat,  placed  the  poiu 
of  his  knife  against  his  breast. 

"  One  word,"  said  he,  "  and  I  strike  In 

"  At  the  heart  of  your  best  friend,"  replied  the  soldier,  in 
voice  of  which  the  well-known  accents  thrilled  Herrera's  blood. 

"  Mariano !"  he  exclaimed. 

"Himself!"  replied  Mariano  Torres. 

Just  then  the  gipsy,  who  had  reached  the  ground,  sprang  upo 
the  disguised  Christino,  and  made  a  furious  blow  at  him  with  hi 
knife.  Torres  raised  his  arm,  and  the  blade  passed  through  th 
loose  sleeve  of  his  capote.  Herrera  hastened  to  interfere. 

"  Tis  a  friend,"  said  he. 

The  gipsy  made  a  step  backwards,  in  distrust  and  uncer 
tainty. 

"  I  tell  you  it  is  a  friend,"  repeated  Herrera—"  a  comrade  of 
my  own,  who  has  come  to  aid  my  escape.  And  now  that  you 
have  rescued  me,  act  as  our  guide  to  the  nearest  Christino  post, 
and  your  reward  shall  be  ample." 


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